Loki's Servant
by Elodymia
Summary: Summary inside, it's too big to fit all in here!
1. Summary

Cameron, like any other human, was distraught over the destruction of New York that Loki had brought. However, she still felt bad for him. He had gone through everything just to get back to his family. That's why, when she sees a new group on facebook labeled "Loki's Army", she readily accepts. Soon after that, she has a dream that Loki comes to visit. He wants to move her up in rank, and travel with her to Asgard. When she get there, however, she realizes a few important things. One: This might not be a dream after all. Two: She may have unlocked a rare and extraordinary power that will get her into a lot of trouble.


	2. Prolouge

Cameron, like many other Americans, watched in horror as the scene unfolded before her on the TV. The news channels all showed the same thing: aliens were invading New York. How was this even possible?

A camera zoomed in on a blurry figure, standing on top of Stark tower, his golden helmet shining brightly from the sun. Cameron squinted, trying to see him better. He was the cause of all this, so why does he look like he's desperate for something? Something else comes flying at him from the side, slamming him further back from the edge. The camera jostles, obviously whoever was holding it did not expect that to happen. There's a replay of what just happened, but slowed down. Is that... Cameron gasped. Was that a man? Wearing a red cape and flying? Like Superman? This was insane.

Later, Cameron learned that the man with the red cape was Thor. And that the aliens invading New York were stopped by a team of superheroes, The Avengers. But what she never learned was who was in charge of the attack. The news kept displaying it as a tragedy and that the Avengers had saved the day, but it never showed who exactly they saved it from.

It wasn't until a month later Cameron found the website online. The website explained that the reason aliens invaded New York was so Thor's brother, Loki, could rule over Earth. Although the website speculated over many reasons why, it held to one very specific reason: Loki wanted the attention so he could go back home. The website then provided some links about the Norse trickster god, Loki. Cameron read all she could. She was hungry for information; she needed to know more about this Loki.

Then the media found the website. And then everybody knew. They all knew Loki was the brother of Thor, how he was just trying to get back home to Asgard, from where he had been banished. And now, incidentally, he was back home, because Thor took him back. People were outraged, and the story quickly got shut down by unknown sources.

By then, it was too late. The majority of the people believed Loki was a horrible villain and deserved to die. But there were a few that didn't. Cameron was one of them. In fact, somebody had even started a group on Facebook labeled "Loki's Army." Cameron immediately joined. There wasn't much in the group, just a lot of members, and people rambling about how much they loved Loki and how he was their true leader; but there was a picture.

Somehow, during the chaos of battle, a close up picture had been taken of Loki. Long black hair, green eyes, a sexy smirk. It was like he knew he was getting his picture taken. And he was enjoying it.

Cameron wasn't obsessed. She just understood. Loki was like a political candidate. She may not agree with his policies (i.e. humans were made to be ruled, etc.) but she agreed with this: he was desperate to get back home. Something awful had happened to him while he was away, and he needed to go back home. Could he be a psychopath? Maybe. But he could also be something else too. Something nobody had really thought of yet.

He could be a person.


	3. Is This A Dream?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Loki or any of the Marvel Universe.**

I open my eyes to find him staring at me, standing next to my bed. The very god I just had a dream about: Loki. I sit up suddenly, surprised, clutching my blankets to my chest. My heart pounds in anxiety. How is he here? What is going on?

He smirks, amused at my reaction. "Hello Cameron." I can't reply, I'm too shocked. How does he know my name? "Oh Cameron, you know I'm not really here." He says - no- answers my thoughts. I feel my heartbeat quicken even more. He can read minds!?

"You're just appearing to me in an illusion." I reply slowly once I regain my voice. I try to calm my heart. So he can read minds, it's no big deal, this could be another dream. Just a dream.

He chuckles. "So you have done some research on me then."

Who wouldn't have done research? Especially after New York... Ignoring the hammering of my heart, there's really no hope for it now, I quickly get out of bed, trying to act casually. "So... why are you here?" I ask, looking up at him. I thought he was supposed to be locked up in Asgard, far away from Earth.

He looks down at me, meeting my gaze. "You are a member of my army, correct?"

"Yes..." I reply hesitantly. I had just joined. It may have been just clicking join for a facebook group someone random had started... but I guess this means it still counted. I didn't know Loki had a facebook. The image of him posting statuses during the Battle Of New York pops into my head. 'Just got beat up by the Hulk. Ouch.' I resist the urge to smile and instead nod. "Yes." I reply more firmly. "I am apart of your army." After everything that happened to him, it seemed unfair to not be on his side. Even if he did destroy New York.

He smiles, glad. "How would you like to move up in rank?" He asks. "It's nothing much of course, but you are not physically strong, and this would be better for both you and I."

Although my blood boils when he says I'm not strong, I push it aside. I am strong. Just not in the way he thinks. And also, why not? This is just another dream, after all. I kneel before him. "Of course, my king, I accept."

"Good." He says, then darkness surrounds me, and I pass out.

* * *

I wake up leaning against something. I open my eyes, and see that I'm in a round cell made entirely of glass. I get up, looking around. Outside of the cell, everything is dark. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a bright flash of green. I turn towards it, expecting someone to come in and explain what was going on, only to come face to face with a familiar-looking outfit. I jump back, surprised, and look up. Loki. I glare at him. Why does he have to be so tall!

"I see you're finally awake." He comments, smirking.

"Where am I? What's going on?" I ask forcefully. I don't care if he's suddenly my king, it would be nice to know something before I start moving up in rank.

"You agreed to be moved up in rank, Cameron." Loki answers, becoming serious. "And now you're coming to Asgard with me."

"What?!" I cry, "Asgard!?" I can't go to Asgard! Even if this is a dream! I grab a fistful of my shirt, resisting the urge to tell him so. He is my new king, after all.

"Yes," he continues calmly, completely ignoring me. "You're going to be my servant."

I black out again.

* * *

I hear voices murmuring and open my eyes, then immediately slam them shut, panic rushing through me. This can't be happening. I can't actually be in Asgard. Dreams never last this long.

"It must have made you tired, traveling in the bifrost so suddenly." A voice says in front of me.

I reopen my eyes to see Heimdall crouching in front of me, a tall figure behind him. "Where am I?" I ask, my voice weak. I sit up, feeling dizzy. Really dizzy. I fight to keep from collapsing back onto the floor.

Heimdall stands and turns to the figure behind him. "Your father is not going to be pleased about this."

"He's not my father." The figure snaps, stepping forward towards me. It's Loki; real and in the flesh. I gulp. This doesn't seem so much like a dream anymore. Dreams aren't this real. "Cameron, you're in Asgard." He answers me.

I rise so suddenly the world darkens. Loki, sensing what's happening, steps forward and steadies me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "We must go." he says.

"Go where?" I ask, a bit dazed.

"Into the city." He replies, giving no explanation.

"Um.. okay." I say, nodding. However, the dizziness is not going away.

"Perhaps we should just walk." Loki says, noticing how much I'm leaning into him. I nod, grateful. I don't know if I could even get on a horse right now, much less ride one.

After saying our farewells to Heimdall, we start down the long walk towards Asgard. As we get closer, I see the brilliance of it. I smile. "It's so beautiful." I say, in awe.

Loki smiles, pleased. "Wait until you see it up close." He starts to walk faster and I hurry to catch up, but then I trip and fall. He swiftly grabs my arm, stopping me from landing hard onto the bridge.

I smile at him shyly. "Thank you."

He sighs as I get steady again. "This is not going to work." He comments, then he squeezes my arm tighter.

"What are you.." I start to ask, but then a tingling feeling envelops me. Next thing I know, we're in a beautifully furnished bedroom. I gasp for breath, surprised. Did we just teleport?

Loki lets go of my arm and gestures around the room. "Welcome to my quarters."

I regain my breath and look around. It's amazing. I desperately wish my room was like this. Everything fits perfectly, a huge bed sits against one wall, and there are shelves everywhere full of books. I smile. At least our rooms are the same with books. I trail my hand along some of the covers. Nothing is recognizable to me, but Loki must love these books. They're all worn out from constant usage.

Loki walks over to a door set into the wall, snapping me out of my thoughts. I look up at him. "This is where you will be staying." He says, opening the door.

I go through the door, expecting a dirty broom closet or something, and gasp, covering my smile with my hands. It's basically a mirror of his room, but much smaller.

He smiles, pleased at my reaction. "As you are from Midgard, you get better accommodations than other servants." My mind sharpens; all of my dizziness quickly gone. I'm to be his servant. I had completely forgotten.

He tsks, looking me up and down. "We must get you something else to wear." I immediately look down. I'm still in shorts and a t-shirt.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" I ask indignantly. I cross my arms.

He chuckles. "You stick out way too much." He comes into my room and opens a closet. I peek inside to see seven identical knee-length white dresses. He pulls one of them out of the closet. "This will do." He hands it to me. "I'll give you some privacy." He strolls out and closes the door behind him.

I study the dress. It's made of something similar to silk, and it has gold thread sewn into the collar. I slip it on. Surprisingly, it fits perfectly. Almost all of my dresses need to be adjusted in some way. I look in the mirror, and reality hits me. This is actually happening. This is not a dream. I'm really here on Asgard. And now, I look like I'm meant to be here. I can't believe it. I smile, then shake my head and go into Loki's room.

He's leaning against the wall, waiting for me. He looks me up and down when I enter. "You look beautiful." He says.

I blush, looking down at the floor. "Thank you."

There's a small knock on the door. "Come in." Loki says, straightening up. A girl in a white dress slips in and closes the door behind her.

I study her dress. It's similar to mine, except plainer. Is she a servant? I bite my lip, wondering. Why am I here if he already has a servant?

"You asked to see me sir?" The girl asks timidly.

"Yes, I would like you to bring Cameron to training." Loki says curtly.

"Of course sir." She says, then curtsies. "I'll wait right outside." She hurries out.

As soon as she's gone, Loki turns to me. "In training, you're going to learn how to be a servant to me." He says. I nod to show I'm listening. He goes on. "You will also learn how to treat your betters, but since you are Midgardian, that will be different for you. You are the better of the rest of the servants of Asgard."

I must look nervous, because he places a hand on my shoulder. The weight and warmth of it makes me meet his gaze. His eyes are bright, and unconcerned. I feel myself relax. "You're going to do fine." He says softly. I nod, and he turns me around, gently nudging me towards the door.

I look back right before I go out, but he's no longer there. He must have teleported away. I sigh, and open the door, slipping out into the hallway.


	4. Training

The servant's name, I learn on the way to training, is Dessa. She's really nice and doesn't question me why I'm here.

"Have you ever been a servant before?" She asks me as we come to the door to the training room.

I smile sheepishly. "Nope." I meet her gaze. "Is that a bad thing?"

She smiles. "Not at all. It just means you have more to learn." She opens the door, gesturing for me to go inside.

I take a deep breath, then walk in. At first, it just looks like a ton of people in white rushing around, but then I begin to pick out patterns in what they're doing, and recognize it. They're in an assembly line, washing, drying, ironing. They're doing the laundry. I'm so entranced by the effectiveness of it, I don't notice Dessa close the door. As soon as she does though, everyone stops and looks in our direction.

I swallow, suddenly nervous. Should I say something? What do I do? Then, an old woman pushes through the crowd of people.

"There you are!" She exclaims, looking at Dessa and I. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for you?" She hobbles up to us, looking stern.

"Ma'am I..." I try to explain, but she cuts me off.

"I wasn't talking to you." She says sharply. Her gaze narrows on Dessa. "Where were you?"

Dessa straightens. "I was grabbed by Prince Loki, Margaret. He wished to have me bring Cameron here to training." She nods at me.

"Oh." She says, scowling. She turns around and surveys the crowd of stopped people. "All of you! Get back to work! Nothing to see here!" She commands. Immediately, they all begin working again, effortlessly melding back into their roles.

"Wow." I breathe.

Margaret turns back around and scrutinizes me. "What did you say?"

I tear my gaze away from the workers and look at her. "I said wow, Ma'am." I reply. "I'm just amazed at how.." I look back at the laundry line. "efficient it is."

She laughs, a warm, grandmotherly laugh that surprises me. "You won't be so amazed when you're doing it yourself, Cameron." She turns back around, still smiling. "Both of you now, follow me." She walks into the sea of people, not once hesitating.

Dessa and I exchange a look, then hurry off after her.

Once we catch up, Margaret leads us to a small door set off to the side from the assembly line. She opens the door, ushering us inside.

Inside, it almost looks like a Home Economics classroom with ovens, sinks, sewing machines, washing machines, and dryers scattered everywhere. "Here, you will learn to become a servant of Asgard." Margaret says, closing the door behind her with a soft click, silencing the clamor of the other room. She walks around and faces us, hand on her hips, her smile from earlier gone.

"I sort of already to know how to do all this already, Ma'am." I say hesitantly.

"Not the Asgard way." She counters, staring directly at me. "Things are different here than in Midgard."

I straighten up just as I hear Dessa quietly gasp. "How do you know that?"

Margaret slowly smiles. "As the head of all the servants in Asgard, I get to know some things."

"But I just got here." I protest. "Who could have told you?"

She gives me a funny look. "Why, the prince of course."

Loki. "How..." I can't even think of how he did that. I look at Dessa, who is staring at me with a shocked expression on her face. I sigh. "It's true." I tell her. Her face slowly loses some of the shocked expression, only to be replaced with curiosity.

"What's it like?" She asks.

"Enough." Margaret interrupts. "It's not important right now. What's important is your training."

I look back at Margaret. "It can't be that different." I say. She raises her eyebrows in response. I sigh, giving in. "Fine. Where do we start?"

"We start by you creating the perfect meal." She looks around at all the ovens. "Every meal."

I gape at her. "Are you kidding? That would take eons!"

She smiles. "And there's your main difference from Midgard to Asgard. Asgard has magic." I stare at her, shocked. Magic to create every single meal in a short amount of time? "How do you think you got here, by flying?" Margaret asks sarcastically.

She rolls her eyes and then looks at Dessa. "You have other duties to attend to, my dear, some of which you are very late."

Dessa reddons. "I'm sorry, Margaret."

"It's not her fault." I butt in. "You heard her."

Margaret looks at me. "Yes, but the nobles she's serving don't care about any of that." She nods at Dessa. "Go now."

Dessa nods, then leaves.

I turn back to Margaret. "Is she going to be okay?" I ask frightfully.

Margaret scoffs. "What are you implying? That we're all heathens? She will be fine." She walks over to an oven, and I follow her. "Now, let's begin."

* * *

After learning how to make every meal perfectly, (in three hours!) we move on to the sewing machines.

"What do you know about these?" Margaret asks, as we both settle comfortably in front of one.

I shift in my seat. "I actually don't know how to use one." I say sheepishly. "I've only seen one used before."

"Then hopefully you'll pick it up quickly, because the clothes you're going to make we're going to wash next."

"Not all the clothes?" I ask hopefully.

"Every single article of clothing." She replies. I groan, closing my eyes. "But, you get to keep one of them for yourself."

I open my eyes, looking at her. "Anything?" I ask.

She nods. "Anything. As long as it's clothing."

I smile, already coming up with ideas of what to make. "Let's get started then, shall we?"

* * *

After we finish sewing the clothes, we load the clothes into the washing machines. "Now what kind of magic do these have?" I ask, gesturing to the washers.

Margaret, who's measuring out the correct amount of soap, pauses. "Nothing." She says. "These don't need any magic."

I gape at her, flummoxed. "We just made every meal is three hours, sewed every article of clothing in four hours, and now you're telling me the washing machine doesn't have any magic involved to speed it up a little?"

Margaret finishes measuring out the soap and hands it to me. I empty it into one of the washing machines. We move on to the next one. We do three more machines before she finally answers. "Magic is tricky. There's many different forms, and each form can only be used a certain way. The form we use is used to speed up the creation process. We aren't creating anything here, just cleaning."

I nod, understanding. "Then why don't we use some type of speed up cleaning magic?" I ask.

"Magic is not unlimited, Cameron, nor is it everywhere. Magic like that doesn't exist." She replies. We finish loading the washing machines with soap in silence, then wait for them to get done.

Dessa comes in as we're loading the dryers. "How did it go?" I ask.

She smiles sadly. "I got fired."

Margaret nearly drops the bundle of clothes she's holding, and turns to face us, wide eyed. "What?"

Dessa nods. "By everyone."

"Everyone!?" Margaret exclaims, this time dropping the clothes. Wincing, I quickly scoop up the clothes and put them into a dryer. When I turn back around, I see that Margaret is now hugging Dessa tightly. "It's okay, darling, we'll find you some work to do."

"What happens if she's not working?" I ask.

They separate, both turning to face me. "I'll get thrown out onto the streets." Dessa explains, sadness in her eyes.

"That can't happen!" I say. "That's totally unfair!"

"Fairness is relative when you're in the lower class, Cameron." Margaret says.

"We have to do something." I say desperately, looking around the room for something to help.

"Cameron." Dessa says softly, causing me to focus on her. "It's okay. I'll be alright."

"It's not okay!" I exclaim. "We have to do something!"

Margaret sighs. "The only thing we can do is hope she finds work before her time limit is up."

I look back and forth between them both. "What's the time limit?"

"One day."

I think my vision went dark for a second, I'm so upset. I finally make two friends, only to have one ripped away from me in a day. I can't let this happen. My gaze focuses on Dessa. She's my age, living the life of servitude, all so she doesn't end up on the streets. I can't let this happen to her. It's not fair.

"I have an idea." I say. They both focus on me. "According to Loki, because I'm Midgardian, I'm ranked higher than you." I focus on both of them individually. "That means Dessa can be my servant."

They both stare at me as if I'm crazy. I don't blame them, honestly. I don't know if this will work either.

"That's impossible." Dessa finally speaks. "You are a servant. A servant can't have a servant!"

"Unless..." Margaret starts, considering.

"Unless Loki approves." I finish for her.

"You are crazy." Dessa confirms. "The prince would never agree to it."

"Agree to what?" A familiar voice asks behind me. I turn, my eyes wide, to see Loki standing there, smirking.

"Um... how long have you been there?" I ask cautiously.

"I heard everything." He replies. He walks over to me, standing close. "Now do you really believe I would allow that?"

I swallow, feeling intimidated by his closeness. I push it aside and look up at him, meeting his gaze. "I do."

He smiles. "Alright then." He says, stepping back.

"Alright?" I repeat, shocked. "You're agreeing to it?"

"Of course. Why would I not?" He looks at Dessa. "Welcome back to employment. Meet your new master in her room in precisely one hour." He grabs my arm. "We'll be going now."

"Wait! I'm not done." I say, just as the dryers finish. I break out of his grasp and rush over to the dryer that holds my article of clothing. I take it out, folding it neatly. I walk over to Margaret, holding it out to her. "For you as a thank you for everything."

Tears fill her eyes as she holds the blue shawl tightly. "Thank you."

I nod and step back to Loki, who was watching all this with an amused expression on his face. He grabs my arm again, squeezing it tightly. A tingling sensation spreads through my body, and we teleport.


	5. Meeting The King

We arrive back in Loki's room. He lets go of my arm, stepping away.

"Thank you." I say quietly. "For helping Dessa."

He glances at me, amused. "You would have needed a servant anyways. She was just available."

"Either way, thank you." I reply, looking up at him. "It's totally unfair that she would have been cast out to the streets."

His amused smile disappears. "It is the way of Asgard. You would do best not to question it."

I look down, a bit sad he didn't agree. But he is a prince, after all. He needs to agree with his realm.

 _I never said I agreed nor disagreed._ A voice says, in my head. I quickly look at Loki, my eyes wide.

"Did you just..?" I start.

 _Yes._ He replies, still speaking inside my head. I stumble backwards shocked, and place my hand on the wall to steady myself. I knew he could read minds but this? This is entirely different.

"What else can you do?" I ask.

He smiles. "All in good time." He replies aloud. He looks away from me, and instead looks out the window. "As much as I hate to.. we need to do something before you're actually allowed to be here."

I'm not allowed to be here?! Since when? I take a deep breath, calming my thoughts. I stand up from against the wall. "What do we need to do?"

His gaze meets mine. "We need to introduce you to the king."

I stare at him, confused. "I don't understand." I say. "You are my king."

He chuckles. "But I am not the king of Asgard." He focuses on me. "And it would be best if you do not refer to me as your king around Odin or my mother."

I nod. "I understand." I look back up at him.

He opens the door, gesturing for me to go out. "Let's go."

I exit, and he closes the door. '"This way." He turns to the right and starts to walk down the hallway. I catch up to him walking beside him. We exit the hallway out into a large common area chamber.

Thor is here, I recognize him immediately. He smiles when he sees us. "Hello, brother!" He greets Loki. He looks at me. "What do we have here?" I'm about to speak when he goes on, looking at Loki again. "You have not gone against father's wishes again, have you brother?"

Loki sneers. "Of course not. We're going to see Odin right now." He looks at me. "Cameron, I would like you to meet my petulant brother, Thor." I bow slightly, realizing I have no idea how to curtsy. I guess I missed that part of training. Loki turns back to Thor. "Thor, I would like you to meet Cameron." I notice he doesn't add any sort of title to my name. Does he not want Thor to know I'm his servant?

I'm snapped out of my thoughts as Thor leans down and takes my hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Cameron." He says seriously, kissing my hand. I feel heat rush to my cheeks. He straightens up, looking back at Loki. "I do hope you know what you're doing, brother."

"I always do." Loki retorts. He offers me his arm, and I take it. "It was nice to see you, brother, but we must be off to see Odin." We begin to go around Thor.

"Before you go, brother." Thor says, placing a hand on Loki's chest, stopping us. "May I ask Lady Cameron something?"

Loki sighs, then looks down at me. I shrug to say I don't care. "Very well, Thor, you may ask her your question, though I don't see why it couldn't wait."

Thor looks at me. "Lady Cameron, are you pregnant?"

I gape at him, shocked. Why would he think I'm pregnant?! "Excuse me?" I finally manage to stutter out.  
"I asked if you were pregnant." Thor repeated.

I glance at Loki to see if this was serious, but he's too busy glaring daggers into Thor to see my gaze. I look back at Thor. "No, I'm not." I tell him. "Why would you think that?"

"We really must get going." Loki hisses through his teeth at Thor. Thor only smiles. "Thank you, brother. And thank you, Lady Cameron. I do hope we meet again soon." He walks around us and down the hallway.

"Um.." I start.

"Not now." Loki says sharply. I stop talking.

We walk the rest of the way to the throne room in silence.

Once we reach the doors, we let go of each other's arms. "Do not speak unless you are spoken to." Loki advises, turning to me. I nod to show I understand. The tension he had earlier is now either gone or cleverly masked.

He nods back, and turns to the door, knocking on it. Immediately, two guards open the door from the other side, revealing the throne room. We quickly enter and approach the throne.

Once we get pretty close to it, Loki kneels, and I follow suit. "You may rise." Odin says to us, and we do. I get a good look at the king. He's a lot more intimidating up close. Although his hair is white, he still puts off an overpowering vibe. He is definitely king, and if anyone ever opposes that, I feel bad for them.

"How are you today, Odin?" Loki asks.

"Why do you always try to stall Loki, even when nothing's the matter?" Odin replies. He stands up, and looks directly at me. "Who are you, girl?"

I step forward. "I am Cameron, sir. Loki kindly invited me to come to Asgard."

"Why?" Odin inquires.

I look at Loki, wondering what he's going to say.

"She is not like the others, I promise." Loki says. "She is here for a much different reason."

How many others have there been!? I turn back to Odin, expecting him to order me to be sent back to Midgard. Instead, he surprises me. "Very well." He says, then turns to me. "If I may ask a rather personal question of you, my dear."

I nod. "I do not mind, sir."

"Are you pregnant?" Odin asks.

I have to refrain form smiling. I knew he was going to ask that. I really need to ask Loki what that's about. "No sir, I am not." I reply, meeting his gaze.

He smiles and sits back down on the throne. "That is good. Welcome to Asgard, Cameron. "I hope you enjoy your stay."

I smile back. "I hope so too, sir." Then, the world suddenly darkens and turns sideways. I panic, locking gazes with Loki, who looks concerned. Then, the world goes completely dark, and I pass out.

[A/N Bit of a shorter chapter, but I promise there's good reason for it!]


	6. Surprise!

I wake up to the sound of my alarm. Wait, my alarm!? I sit up quickly, groggily rubbing my eyes. I look around wildly. I'm back in my room on Midgard! I shake my head. Was it really just a dream?

Someone knocks on my door, then opens it. My mom pokes her head in. "Morning, sleepyhead." She says, smiling. "Did your alarm wake you?"

I check my watch. 11:00! I never sleep in this late! "My last alarm." I reply.

"Well that's what you get for staying up late reading." She says.

I smile sheepishly. I was reading last night, but in my defense, it was a really good book and I couldn't put it down. "That and strange dreams." I say, getting out of bed. It was so real...

"Are we still going shopping?" Mom asks.

I smile. "Of course, Barnes and Noble here I come!"

She rolls her eyes, then closes the door. I sigh and sit back on my bed. Was it really a dream? It felt so.. right. Even if there was nausea and endless cooking and sewing and teleporting...

"You remember your dreams very well." A voice says behind me. I spin around, my eyes wide. But no one's there.

"Hello?" I ask hesitantly. I swear that voice... it sounded like Loki.

"Look in your mirror." The voice replies.

Cautiously, I go over to my dresser and peek into the mirror. It's me. I study my reflection. Then, suddenly, my reflection blurs, and Loki is standing behind my reflection. Shocked, I stagger backwards, only to be caught by a strong pair of arms. I look up at their owner, somehow already knowing who it is.

"Loki?"

He smiles. "Yes, Cameron."

I stand up fully, leaving his arms. I turn to face him. "How.. how is this possible?"

He loses his smile. "I knew this would happen eventually."

"What are you talking about?" I ask, worried.

He meets my gaze. "When I said you aren't physically strong, I did not mean you were completely weak. Your mind, in fact, is very strong."

"And how do you know that?" I ask

He pauses, considering his words. "Because, Cameron, part of your mind is still in Asgard." What did he just say? That I'm still in Asgard? I'm about to ask what in the world is going on but he continues. "And that's a very hard thing to do, especially if you haven't learned how."

"You're not making any sense here." I tell him bluntly.

"Hmm.. okay, everything from last night seemed like a dream, right?" He asks. I nod. "Well, in a way, it was. When people dream, they send their mind off to dreamland or whatever and then bring it back. You sent your mind with me to Asgard, but you didn't bring all of it back. Instead, that part of your mind, thanks to some of my magic, is physically in Asgard right now."

"So.. you're saying my mind is split in half and now I'm in two places at once?" I ask, trying to clarify.

He smiles. "Much less than half, but yes, more or less."

"Everything that happened is real, it wasn't a dream, you're not a hallucination." I say.

He nods. "Exactly."

"Holy crap." I say, breathing out. "This is real."

"This is real." Loki repeats, smiling. "I'm glad you understand."

"Have you ever done this before?" I ask, looking at him. "With other.. humans?"

He shakes his head. "You are the first. Your mind is the strongest I've ever come across."

"Wow." I say. I start to smile. "This is actually pretty cool."

"What's taking you so long?" I hear my mom ask behind me. I gasp, and spin around to see her in the doorway.

I frantically look back at Loki, who doesn't look at all concerned. "Mom... I can explain." I say.

"You're feeling lazy, I get it." She replies, somehow not even noticing the god currently occupying my bedroom with me. "But you can be lazy in the car. Let's go" She jerks her head in the direction of the rest of the house, then leaves, shutting the door behind her.

I turn to Loki, shocked beyond belief. "Wha..." I sputter. I can't even say complete sentences right now.

He grins, enjoying my reaction. "She can't see me. Nobody can. I'm invisible to them."

I glare at him. "Why didn't you say that in the first place!?"

He laughs, sitting down on my bed. "Because your face was priceless."

I roll my eyes, then get out my brush and start brushing my hair. Even if there's a god in my bedroom that only I can see, I must keep acting as if today is a normal day. If I even breathe a word to anyone about Asgard and Loki, they're going to think I've gone crazy.

Maybe I have. I finish brushing my hair and look back at Loki. "How do I get back?"

He smiles, as if he knew I was going to ask. "Simply envision yourself back in Asgard. You will still be in Midgard, but you will be more...awake in Asgard."

"Like daydreaming." I conclude.

He nods. "Exactly like daydreaming."

"Is that how you're here?" I ask.

"In a way, yes." He replies. "Your circumstances have a bit more magic involved."

"I see." I reply. I look, at the door, worried my mom's about to come in and see me talking to myself. "I really need to get ready and change."

"Go ahead, I don't mind." He says, smirking.

I glare at him. "Seriously?"

He sighs. "Fine." He disappears, leaving me alone.

I quickly finish getting ready and walk out of my room to see my mom waiting for me. "Took you long enough." She says, but she's smiling. "Let's go, we'll stop by a McDonald's or something for breakfast."

We get in the car, my mom driving, and head off towards the mall. After stopping at a McDonald's, I decide to try to go to Asgard.

I lean back in my seat, stare blankly out the window, and let my mind drift off to Asgard.

* * *

I wake up lying down on something soft. Did I do it? Am I in Asgard? I open my eyes, letting my gaze wander around the room I'm in. This seems familiar.. wait.. those books.. I sit up, my eyes widening. I did it. I'm in Loki's bedroom. I look around some more. But how did I get here?

"Ah hem." Someone says beside me. I turn to look at them, and gasp. It's the king. Frantically, I bow the best I can.

"My king." I say.

Odin softly smiles at me. "There is no need to bow when we are not in the throne room, Cameron."

"Nevertheless, I will do it anyways, sir." I reply, smiling back. "I don't exactly remember what happened, can you fill me in?"

"I'm not sure myself." He says, looking thoughtful. "You introduced yourself to me, and then suddenly collapsed. Loki and I were both frantic."

"Loki was too?" I ask. "Where is he now?"

"Of course he was." Odin says dismissively. "He's djsajjdj."

I shake my head. Did I hear that right? "I'm sorry, what was that?" I ask, but no sound reaches my ears. I begin to panic. Did something go wrong? Am I deaf?

Odin says something, looking concerned. I shake my head again. I can't hear him. I can't hear anything. I try to read his lips, but he's speaking too fast to understand. He stands up, placing a hand on my shoulder, still saying something.

I still can't make anything out. Everything is spinning... spinning...spinning.. I black out. 

* * *

I come back to awareness with a small gasp, my head throbbing. I'm back on Midgard. I glance over at mom. She's still driving, not noticing my strange turmoil. I look out the window again. Look, some blue sky! Rare to see on a winter day. How strange. I focus on the blue sky again. Was that it? Could I have somehow gotten distracted and pulled back into Midgard?

"That's exactly what happened." A voice says. I jump.

My mom looks over at me. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." I reply. "Just got a chill."

I casually glance behind me to see Loki lounging in the back seat. I glare at him. He waves. I roll my eyes, then face forward again. "It takes a lot of practice." He says, practically in my ear. I try to ignore him. "The only reason you went so long the first time was because you were asleep. Not much can distract you when you're asleep." I nod to show I get it. He places a hand on my shoulder. "Keep trying. You'll get better." His hand disappears. I turn around, only to see that he's gone.

I look out the window again, then try to visualize myself in Asgard. I succeed multiple times, each time getting a little longer, but it all progresses like it did before. I wake up, bow to Odin, who is looking increasingly more worried as time goes on, say a few words, then pass out again.

This time however, something's changed. I wake up on a hard table with a glowing diagram of my body floating above me. "Oh good, you're finally awake." I hear Odin say.

I turn my head to look at him, afraid that if I move I'll mess up the diagram thingy, but I don't see him. My mind spins. He's in my head. I immediately form a mental block between his presence and all my thoughts of why I'm here. He's not supposed to know.

"Where am I?" I ask a person standing by, trying to distract my thoughts of the face that Odin is in my head.

"You're in the healing room." A more familiar voice says, on the other side of me. I immediately turn to look at him. Loki.

I smile. "Glad to see you're finally around." I look around, still not seeing Odin. "Where's Odin? I heard him." I try to downplay that I know about telepathy, while also letting Loki know that Odin's in my head.

Loki's eyes go dark, and he looks about to say something, but then Odin enters the room , smiling.

"Here I am, Cameron." He says. I nod my head at him. It's the best I can do for bowing right now.

Loki glares at him. "Get out of her head. You don't have her permission."

Odin looks at him sadly. "And you do?" He asks. However, I feel his presence leave, and breathe out a sigh of relief.

"You have no idea what that could have done to her!" Loki's still fuming at Odin.

"I have better idea than you do." Odin replies, still calm. It's sort of scary actually. I wish he would get angry.

"Loki has my permission, sir." I speak up. "It's how he contacted me in Midgard." They both turn to me.

Odin nods. "That's what I concluded, considering Loki is not allowed to leave this realm."

I look at Loki, questioning this statement, and he nods, confirming it. "I'm glad you understand then." I say, looking back at Odin. "It was the only way."

"I was simply trying to wake you up." Odin says, to both me and Loki. "I knew I would not harm your mind."

"I trust that you would not, sir." I say. "And it might have even worked."

Loki looks swiftly at me, questioning, but I ignore him. Now, Odin is smiling.

"I'm glad it did work." He replies, pleased. "I had you brought to the healing room after the fifth occurrence of you waking and fainting."

I wince. Five times? That's pretty bad.

"However, I do believe we've come to a conclusion." He nods to one of the other people in the room, who I assume to be a healer.

The healer comes over to me. She points at the diagram above my head. "This is a soul forge. It shows your body as it is right now."

"And what is my body like right now?" I ask, genuinely curious. If this is half my mind, am I only half here?

"Very, very tired." The healer responds. "We believe it is because of the biforst. Prince Loki has told us that you were extremely dizzy after traveling through it."

"That's true." I say, feeling sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

"As you are no longer passing out, you may go." The healer continues. "I suggest getting some sleep before going off and doing something." The healer turns off the soul forge.

I open my mouth to protest, but Loki steps forward instead. "She will, of course, do that." He looks at me pointedly. "I'll make sure of it." I resist the urge to stick out my tongue at him. I came to Asgard to be his servant, not to sleep all day.

"Thank you." Odin says to the healers, then turns back to me. "I hope you recover soon, Cameron. We'll have a feast."

I laugh. A feast? Just for me? Yeah right. I get up off the bed and take Loki's offered arm. "I'll be sure to recover quickly then, sir." I reply.

Loki and I leave the room, leaving Odin far behind.


	7. Fear

Once we reach Loki's room and the door is firmly closed behind us, Loki turns to me , his eyes blazing with intensity. On the outside however, he remains calm. "Did he find anything out?" He asks.

"Not while I was awake." I reply, meeting his burning gaze. "I blocked him as best as I could as soon as I realized what was going on."

His eyes soften. "You were able to block him?"

I roll my eyes, smiling. "Aren't you the one who said I have the strongest mind you've ever seen?"

He frowns. "That's still very unusual."

"I'm sure it's fine." I say. I knock on my head with my fist. "See? No brain damage."

He smiles. "That's very true."

"So... if I may ask, why are we keeping me being your servant a secret from Odin?" I ask lightly.

He smiles. "Because I intend to keep you here as long as possible, and if Odin finds out that you're my servant, he will immediately send you home."

"Why is that?" I ask, genuinely curious.

Loki looks at me, now smirking. "Because he thinks Midgardians needn't be meddled with. They cause enough trouble in their own realm. And having you here as a servant is definitely too long of a time for you to be here, in his opinion." His voice had grown a bit more bitter at the end of that sentence.

"Well, I don't plan on causing any trouble whatsoever." I say resolutely, trying to ease his worries. "I will just be your loyal servant."

He smiles, his bitter thoughts now gone. "Very well then." He meets my gaze. "Do you feel alright? You're not dizzy or anything?"

"No." I reply. "I feel... whole."

"Good." He walks over to his closet and opens the door, shoving clothes aside.

I peek curiously over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

He stops shoving aside clothes and presses a hidden panel in the back of the closet. Something clicks, and the back of the closet silently swishes open, revealing a dark stairwell. He steps back, gesturing with his hand towards the opening. "After you."

"Thank you, kind sir." I say politely. I step through the closet and begin going down the stone steps, my hand on the wall for balance. I can barely see in front of me.

Suddenly, I feel Loki's hand on my shoulder, stopping me. "What is it, my king?" I ask. Something clicks and the stairwell is plunged into darkness. "Oh." I whisper.

Loki squeezes my shoulder. "There's only a few more steps in front of you." He says. "Then it will open up into a large chamber. There we will stop."

"Why the dark?" I ask quietly. I'm not afraid of the dark, I'm just afraid of the things that can come with it. The what ifs swirl around in my head, threatening silently. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can do this. It's just a few more steps.

"Are you alright?" Loki asks, his breath brushing against my ear. I shiver. "Do you not like the dark?" I try to take a shaky step forward, but he holds me in place, an arm circling around my torso.

"Only the things that can come with it." I reply softly, my overactive imagination conjuring up demons and scary things with chainsaws.

"It will be alright." He says, tightening his hold on me. "There's no need to be afraid."

Suddenly, a deep growl emanates from in front of us. I step back quickly, my heart jumping in my chest wildly with fear, my thoughts jumping everywhere. I'm now pressed against Loki's chest. "What was that?" I ask, my voice, barely more than a whisper.

Loki sighs, and I feel it vibrate throughout his chest. "That, my dear, is the reason we came down here."

"Why the dark?" I ask again, afraid.

"For safety." He replies. "Not only for us, but for the one down below as well." He releases me, keeping his hand on my shoulder. "He knows we're here now, there's no going back."

"Who is it?" I ask.

Loki doesn't reply. "Five more steps."

I tense. I don't want to do this.

He squeezes my shoulder again. "Please. You'll understand once we get down there."

I close my eyes tightly, then open them again. Fine. Ignoring the hammering of my heart, I place my hand on the wall. I step down. Another growl erupts from the darkness in front of us. I push it aside and continue on. One more step. Then another. More growling. Two more steps. Done.

"Now move forward slowly." Loki says. "I promise he won't hurt you."

Swallowing my fear, I face the darkness again. The air down here is damp, smelling like dog. How could a dog be down here? Slowly, I move forward a bit. Something directly in front of me growls, and I think I see a flash of teeth. I don't dare step backwards though. Who knows what it will do. Or what it is. I take another step forward, and the growling stops. I hear some more shuffling, and then something wet and cold touches my arm. I suck in a scream. Is that a tongue? I'm literally trembling in fear.

The tongue moves away, and I hear more shuffling. I close my eyes, preparing for the thing to eat me.

Then, I hear something else, like a low rumbling. I feel Loki relax. "I know." He says. Is he.. communicating with it? I open my eyes, still seeing nothing but darkness.

Something rumbles back. Loki chuckles. "Yes, I agree." More rumbling. "You're right, I'd say she passed." Passed? What is he talking about? I look around some more, finally relaxing some now that I know nothing's going to attack me.

Then, I see a pinprick of white, directly in front of me. I squint at it, and it expands exponentially, filling my vision. I close my eyes against its brightness, and then open them again.

I'm pretty sure I passed out for a few seconds. The room is now fully lighted, with torches lining the walls. Standing in front of me is a gigantic wolf.

I take a few steps back, once again colliding with Loki's chest. The wolf blinks at me, as if my behavior is completely normal.

"Um... Loki?" I stutter. This wolf is not just huge, it is huger than huge.

"Yes?" He asks, placing his hands on my shoulders reassuringly.

"Were you just... what..." I close my eyes tightly. "What just happened exactly?"

"Perhaps it would be better if you lie down." He says. I open my eyes, curiously looking up at him, but he's not looking at me. He's looking at the wolf.

I look at the wolf, who nods and lies down. "He can understand you?" I ask, amazed.

"And he can understand you." Loki says gently. "Cameron, I'd like you to meet my son, Fenrir."

Fenrir. The wolf who was chained for eternity, because he was prophesized to one day swallow the sun and start Ragnarok. I look at the wolf again, now noticing a large chain attached to a collar on his neck.

"Fenrir." I say, meeting the wolf's gaze. "What a pleasure to meet you."

"A pleasure to meet you also, Cameron." Fenrir replies, his voice a low rumbling.

So Loki was talking with him. I take a step forward. "I'm sorry for acting so freaked out earlier." I tell Fenrir. "I'm not really sure what happened."

"You passed the test my father made." Fenrir replies. "You faced your greatest fear. Now you can come down here any time you want."

"That was.. a test?" I look at Loki.

He nods. "Many seek to find my son in order to destroy him, to try to prevent Ragnarok from happening." He looks at Fenrir. "I can't let that happen."

"Because he's your son." I conclude.

"Because I love him." Loki says, his gaze moving back to me. "I wanted you to meet each other, you are both equals, and I had hoped that you would both be good friends."

Instead of being angry about all this ending up to be a setup to make us friends, I feel happy. I turn to Fenrir. He must be lonely, not having anybody come see him often. Loki was right to do this. And even I feel I might get lonely here myself, so it's best to make friends.

I kneel down next to Fenrir, looking him in the eye. I smile. "I'm sure we'll be great friends."

"I agree." Fenrir rumbles. "However, do you mind if I ask you a question?"

I prepare to not roll my eyes. I'm pretty sure I know where this is going. "I don't mind at all." I reply.

"Are you pregnant?" He asks.

I shake my head. "I'm not." I glance back at Loki, who now has his eyes closed in frustration. I turn back to Fenrir. "Although I wish somebody would tell me why everyone keeps asking me that."

Fenrir sighs. "I'm not sure I'm the best to tell you."

"You don't have to tell me everything." I rush out, worried about what Loki's going to do. "Just give me something."

"Well..." Fenrir starts, but then a familiar blackness comes across my vision, and I black out.


	8. More Kids?

"So close!" I say as soon as I wake up, frustrated with it all. Fenrir was about to tell me what was happening!

"What was so close?" My mom asks, just as we're pulling into the driveway. I half jump in surprise. I had forgotten that we were driving home from the mall!

"Um.. that bird that just flew by." I improvise, my heart hammering in my chest.

"Hmm, I must have not seen it." She replies, stopping the car.

"It went behind us." I say, trying to act normal.

"Whatever you say." She says, getting her purchases out of the car. I grab my own purchases and follow her inside, crunching through the new fallen snow. Once inside, I go to my room and set my bags on my desk.

Now, to go back to Asgard... but how? I look outside, noticing a patch of sunlight settling on the snow outside. That's it. I can go outside. That way, I won't be distracted, and I won't seem super spaced out.

I put on my snow gear and go outside, then sit down in the patch of sunlight. I close my eyes, visualizing myself next to Fenrir.

I wake up lying against something soft, with Loki standing off to the side. He smiles when he sees I'm awake. "Good to see you again." He says.

"Good to see you too." I reply, a bit confused about what I'm lying on. I get up and look behind me, only to see Fenrir there. "Oh Fenrir! I am so sorry!"

"It's fine, Cameron." He rumbles. "Didn't bother me at all."

"Do you feel as if you're here?" Loki asks, now directly behind me.

I turn to face him. "Yes."

"Good." He nods. "Then there are other places we need to go."

We say goodbye to Fenrir and then make our way back up the stairs, thankfully this time in the light. There really weren't that many steps, it only felt like forever on the way down because of the circumstances.

Once we get back into Loki's bedroom, Loki turns to me. "What would you rather do, walk, or teleport?" He asks, smiling slightly.

"Walk. Totally." I reply immediately. A chance to see all of the sights of Asgard...

"Teleport it is then." He says, smirking. He grabs my arm, squeezing it tight, and we teleport in front of a gigantic stable.

I look behind us at the road leading up to it, noticing how it weaves through the lower city. "Aw. That would have been beautiful." I say sadly, looking back up at Loki.

He lets go of my arm. "I know." He's still smirking. "You're just going to have to discover it on your own time."

"It would've been teleport no matter what I said, wouldn't it have?" I ask, scrutinizing him. He seems... worried? Stressed? Nervous? I can't tell.

"Nor do you need to." He replies, now looking at the stable.

I mentally smack myself. I forgot he could read my mind. "So..." I drawl out, trying to cover up my embarrassment. "Why are we here?"

He meets my gaze, amused. "You can't guess?" He chuckles. "And I thought you said you did some research on me."

"Fine, fine, I'll guess." I say grumpily. I turn and look at the stable. Well... it's pretty. And large. Horses are usually kept in stables. "And we just met one of your sons." I say aloud. "That's it. Sleipnir. We're visiting your son."

Loki smiles. "Nice guess." He walks to the stable and opens the door. "After you."

"Why thank you kind sir." I reply, smiling. I walk into the stable, and walkthrough until I see a gigantic horse with eight legs. "Sleipnir." I breath. I walk towards him slowly, stopping a few feet away.

"He's not going to harm you." Loki says, now next to me. I only jump slightly. I'm getting used to this.

"I was only waiting to see if you wanted to properly introduce us." I reply.

"He can't talk, in case you were wondering. Not like Fenrir." Loki says. "Sleipnir, I would like you to meet Cameron. Cameron, this is Sleipnir."

Sleipnir snorts good naturally at me as I approach him. "Ah, but I bet he can talk to you." I say. I stroke his muzzle affectionately.

Loki scoffs. "Well of course, I'm his parent."

I smile. I love how he didn't put any gender in there. Probably because technically, he is both mother and father to Sleipnir.

Sleipnir nuzzles me, urging me to scratch his neck, and I do. He whinnies softly.

Loki just watches us, clearly glad we're getting along, but then he shakes his head. "We need to go."

"Go?" I look sadly at Sleipnir, who seems to exchange the same look. "Why do we have to go now?"

"We have a previously arranged meeting we need to go to." Loki replies curtly.

I sigh. "Okay." I hug Sleipnir around his neck. "It was nice meeting you." I let go and walk over to Loki. "Where are we going?"

He smiles. "You'll see." He grabs my arm, squeezing it tightly. The tingling sensation spreads through my body, and we teleport.

We end up in front of a long wooden bridge, that leads into a large dark cave. A magnolia tree is planted right by the front of the bridge, and I notice that when the wind blows, its petals float down into the cave, guided by the wind.

"It's beautiful." I say, looking at the tree. Loki releases my arm.

"Why thank you." A female voice says, and I watch in fascination as one of the petals falls to the ground in front of the tree, and transforms into a beautiful girl. Paler than pale, a fair complexion, and unnerving red eyes. She seems familiar somehow, but I can't pinpoint it. She plucks a petal from the tree quickly, and it turns to dust in her hand. "I planted it myself."

"Um.. that's nice." I reply, unable to take my eyes away from the dust coating her hand.

She tilts her hand, letting the dust fall to the ground, then looks up at Loki, who is now standing beside me. "Is this your servant, Father?"

I snap my head up, looking sharply at her. "Excuse me?"

Loki nods. "Yes, this is Cameron." Loki turn to me. "Cameron, this is my daughter, Hela."

"What an interesting name. Is it common for Midgardians?" Hela says, smiling slightly.

I can't reply for a second. Hela. As in half skeleton goddess of death and ruler of Hel Hela. Of course after meeting Fenrir, I should have expected this, but I didn't expect her to know why I am here, or that I am Midgardian. I meet her gaze. "It's pretty common, I suppose." I reply. "How do you know where I'm from?"

Loki speaks up. "It is Hela who gave me the idea to look for someone with a strong mind, such as yourself."

I look at him. "And what was the reasoning behind that?"

Hela smiles, revealing thankfully normal teeth. "I wished to meet a live Midgardian, and Father needs company. Especially after the last one."

Loki groans. "Why does everyone want to talk about this?"

"What else is there to talk about?" Hela replies. "There really isn't much that happens around Asgard. I barely get any newcomers."

"Newcomers? You mean like.." I start.

"The newly departed? Yes." She finishes. "Although maybe now that you are here, that could change." I must look horrified, because she chuckle. "I'm only joking Cameron, not to worry." She looks at Loki. "Now Father, I must go back to my realm. Thank you for introducing us." She looks over at me, smiling. "I'm sure we'll be great friends."

I smile tentatively back. This is the goddess of death, after all.

Loki smiles and steps forward, taking her hand. I stiffen, expecting him to turn to dust, but luckily he doesn't. I relax. He kisses her hand. "Goodbye, my love." He lets go of her hand, and she turns, descending into darkness.

I blink, shaking my head. "Um..." I start. "Isn't she supposed to be half skeleton?"

Loki chuckles. "I was creating an illusion at her request. She didn't want you to die of fright and join her realm too soon."

"Die of fright!" I exclaim. "Is that really a thing?" Loki just smiles. I sigh. "Well I hope not." I look at Loki. "Are we going to meet The Midgardian Serpent next?"

Loki shakes his head. "No. He's on Midgard, remember? And you really don't want to go back so quickly now, do you?"

I shake my head, smiling. "You're right, how silly of me." I look up at him again. "But really, what are we going to do now?"

"I say we jddhj." He says.

I stare at him. "What?" But I can't even hear myself speak. It's happening again. I'm leaving Asgard. Why does this always have to happen when something important is about to happen!? I close my eyes and sit down just before the darkness comes. 


	9. The Proper Way

I find myself staring blankly at some pine trees. I shake my head, snapping out of whatever trance I had been in. What had distracted me this time? I hear a car engine rev up somewhere down the road. Was that it? A car passed by? I sigh angrily. I need to be more focused.

"Yes, you do." Loki says suddenly, now right behind me. I jump in surprise, then glare at him.

"Must you always announce yourself by answering my thoughts?" I ask indignantly.

He chuckles. "No, I could just stand here until you noticed, but then it would be a while."

I stand up, brushing snow off my pants. "That's probably true." I admit when I'm done, not looking at him. "I'm pretty unobservant sometimes."

"That's an understatement." He replies, smiling smugly at me.

I quickly make a snowball and throw it at him. It totally misses him. "Shut up." I say.

"You know..." He says, now looking at the ground in a mischievous way. He crouches down and scoops up some snow. He looks up at me, wearing a smirk. "That's not the proper way to address your king."

I smile at him fake sweetly. "Of course, my king, how could I possibly forget?" I roll my eyes, then look back at him. "Tell you what. My realm, I say whatever I want. Your realm, I promise I'll be all proper and such."

He smiles. "Deal." He stands up, now holding a snowball in his hand. "However.." He chucks the snowball at me, and it hits me square in the chest, hard. "That was for before we had a deal."

I narrow my eyes suspiciously at him. "I see." I crouch down and pack my own snowball. "The you surely understand why I have to do this!" I throw another snowball at him, and it would have been a direct hit, but instead it just passes through him. "What!?" I exclaim, upset. "You were just holding a snowball! You threw it at me!"

Loki chuckles. "Magic." Is all he says to reply.

I glare at him again, then turn around and face the pine trees again. "I'm going back to Asgard. You can join me if you wish."

He chuckles. "That I will." I hear him walk up behind me, but I refuse to look at him. Just because he's a god doesn't mean he shouldn't deserve to get hit by a snowball once and a while. "See you there." He places a hand on my head, then disappears.

I shake my head, mutter something about weird magic tricks, then close my eyes and reach out to Asgard.

* * *

Surprisingly, I wake up on something familiar. Something I had passed out onto before. Fenrir. I quickly get up and hug Fenrir. "Thank you so much." I tell him.

"You're welcome again, Cameron." Fenrir rumbles. I let go of him and look around. Loki's not here.

"How did I get here this time?" I ask Fenrir, looking at him.

He meets my gaze. "Father brought you in a few days ago, saying something about how you fainted in fright after meeting Hela."

I put my hands on my hips. "That is so not true!" I proclaim. "I wasn't scared at all."

"You know, you're a horrible liar." I hear Loki say behind me. I turn, smiling.

"I know. I need to work on it." I glance back at Fenrir. "But I did not faint in fright."

Fenrir tilts his head questioningly. "Then why did you faint?"

I turn towards him, ignoring the warning look Loki gave me. This I can lie about. This is more important than if I was afraid of something or not. "I'm.. not entirely sure." I tell Fenrir. "I've been feeling slightly off ever since I came through the bifrost. I think I'm just not used to this realm yet."

Fenrir nods seriously. "That makes sense." He replies.

"Not to interrupt your conversation or anything..." Loki says behind me.

I turn and face him. "Yes, my king?"

He smiles briefly. "We've been invited to a banquet."

"A banquet!" I smile. "How wonderful! Why is it that such a lowly servant like myself was invited?" I lay on the proper servant way really thick.

Loki closes his eyes, either trying not to laugh, or starting to get annoyed. "Let's just talk about this as we go. Everyone's been waiting for you to wake up."

Waiting for me to wake up? Wait.. Fenrir had said Loki had brought me down to him a few days ago. But I just got back, how was this even possible? I smother my confusion with a servant-like smile. "Of course, my king, let us go." He turns and goes up the stairs and I follow him, after attempting to curtsy at Fenrir and failing miserably.

Once the door to the stairs is closed behind us, Loki sighs and leans against the closet, a hand over his eyes. I look at him, concerned. "Are you alright, my king?" I ask. I've never seen him like this before. Is he sad? Angry? Disappointed?

He peeks through his hand at me, and grins. "Okay, you've go to stop now. It's been too much."

"Stop what, my king?" I ask, pretending to be confused. I knew if I decided to be all proper and such it wouldn't last long. He brought me here to be a Midgardian servant, someone different, not someone who would act the same as the rest of the servants. Well, at least that's my theory anyways.

He lets his hand drop to his side, still smiling. "I can't do it. It's only been a few minutes, and I just can't do it."

"Can't do what, my..."I start but he cuts me off, suddenly covering my mouth with his hand.

I look up at him and meet his gaze. He's looking down at me, clearly amused. "Stop acting all proper. It's too hilarious."

Hilarious! I thought I was doing a great job! Slowly, I nod, and he removes his hand, chuckling. "You were so out of place I know that if we ever went out in public I wouldn't be able to not laugh." He replies. He steps back.

"I thought I was doing pretty good." I reply. "What was I doing wrong?"

His mouth twitches, and I can tell he's trying hard not to laugh. "How'd that curtsy earlier go?" He asks.

I mock glare at him. "You weren't supposed to see that! That was special just for Fenrir!"

He looks away. "And I'm surprised Fenrir isn't laughing his head off right now."

"Well you aren't." I reply. "And I'm sure Fenrir's had way less experience with the proper way as you have."

"And hopefully he will never see it again." Loki responds. He moves to the door. "Now. We really must be going."

"Have they been waiting?" I ask, worried.

Loki smiles. "Not really." He opens the door and I walk through. We walk down the hallway together. "They've had quite a while to prepare everything, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Speaking of that.." I start, but he's already way ahead of me.

"Time passes differently here." He says. "It usually depends on the circumstances of what's happening."

"And what was happening so time was longer?" I ask, interested. This is pretty cool.

Loki smiles. "We were invited to the banquet. But nobody knew what you liked, so they decided to make it all. And then there was the process of who to invite.."

"Whoah whoah whoah." I stop him, holding out my hands. "Are you saying that this entire banquet is because of me?"

He looks at me. "Yes." Then he takes a few more steps forward and opens the door we were going to. "After you, our guest of honor."

I stare at him, wide eyed. He can't be serious. Me, guest of honor? At a banquet? I look inside, and a ton of faces swivel towards me. I take a deep breath. I'm not going back now. it's too late. I step inside.


	10. The Banquet

Once I am inside, I am greeted by a round of applause. Embarrassed, I frantically look for an open seat and head towards that, trying not to make eye contact with anyone. I get to my seat and sit down, looking around at everyone. The other guests stop clapping and begin talking amongst themselves. Loki sits next to me. We're seated at an impossibly long table, with tons of food piled high onto it. The only open seat is on the end, which I assume is for Odin. Aside from Loki, Thor is the only person I recognize.

"Thor!" I call out across the table. He's only seated a few seats away from me, but I'm worried with all the chatter he can't hear me.

He turns towards me, smiling excitedly. "Lady Cameron! I'm glad you were finally able to make it!"

I smile timidly back, still sort of in shock with the entire thing. "I am glad as well." I reply. "I'm sorry to have kept anyone waiting."

Thor laughs loudly. "You're perfectly fine, Lady Cameron. There was a lot to do in the meantime."

Before I can reply, trumpets sound from the end of the hall, and everyone immediately stops talking and stands up. I hurriedly follow suit. Odin must be coming in. I watch as he appears from around the crowd of people and makes his way to the head of the table. He smiles, his gaze landing on me. "Cameron." He says. "It is nice to see you are well."

I bow. "It is always a pleasure to see you, my king." I respond.

Odin looks around at all of the dinner guests. "As many of you know, this banquet today is being held in honor of Cameron." Everyone swivels to look at me. I smile timidly, unsure of where to look. Odin continues, picking up his goblet. "A toast. To Cameron, and that her stay here will be all in a good time." He takes a drink.

Everyone around the table cheers and drinks. Odin then sits down, ushering for the rest of us to sit, and we do. "Let the feast begin." He says. Then everyone begins eating, talking and joking with one another. I look around at all the food, not sure where to start. It looks so good.

A raven haired woman in a pretty silk green dress leans over to me from her seat, which is right next to mine. "You should try the wine, I noticed you didn't drink when everyone was toasting." She smiles at me.

I smile back. "I wasn't sure if I should drink to my own toast." I reply, but then grab my goblet and take a sip. I gasp silently. I've never had anything alcoholic before, and this tasted like fruity fireworks exploding inside my mouth. I quickly set the goblet down and look at the woman, my eyes wide. "That was amazing."

She laughs lightly. "Wait until you try the food. The king didn't know what you liked, so he had the cooking staff make everything."

I look around at all the food. It certainly looks like he had them make everything. I smile, suddenly grateful for knowing about the magic that helped make all this food. I look back at the woman, about to tell her about how this food was made, but then I stop when I see her expression. She's not even paying attention to me, instead she is gazing dreamily at Loki, who is engaged in conversation with someone. One of his friends, I assume. But why would she be looking at him like that?

Feeling a strange rush of jealousy, I turn away and instead look at the Asian looking man who is sitting next to Thor. "That is Hogun." I hear a familiar voice whisper in my ear. Loki. I turn to look at him. He smiles, his gaze meeting mine. "You will meet all my friends soon enough."

"Who is the woman next to me?" I ask, lowering my voice so she doesn't hear.

He glances up, then makes a face as if he had just swallowed a lemon. He quickly recovers, and looks down at me again, now with slight anger in his gaze. "I had not realized they would seat her there. I will have her moved." He goes to get up, but I catch his arm, stopping him.

How could he dislike this woman so much? "There is no need for that." I say hastily. "She has done nothing wrong."

He looks down at me, then looks around, realizing that half standing up in the middle of a banquet is starting to draw attention. "Very well then." He says. "But do not say I didn't warn you." He gently takes my hand off his arm, then finishes standing up and walks out of the room.

I quickly look around, noticing that everyone has gone back to their previous conversations. Not knowing what else to do, I eat some food. Since I never actually got to taste any of it when making it, now is my chance. I grab what looks to be a chicken leg and take a huge bite. I stop mid-chew, shocked at the flavor now filling my mouth. It tastes like chocolate! I look at the meat in fascination, swallowing my bite.

I hear laughter beside me and I turn, facing the woman again. She covers her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry." She says. She lowers her hand, still smiling. "But your reaction was priceless."

I smile back at her and place the meat down. "I was expecting it to taste like something else." I inform her. "Something more meaty."

"Like Bildshnipe?" She replies. She points at something resembling lizard skin.

I lean away from it. I don't remember cooking that. She laughs again. "It's just something to add flavor to the other food. We don't actively eat it."

"That's understandable." I reply, making a grossed out face. "It doesn't look very good."

She shakes her head. "No it doesn't." She glances around at the other guests, then leans closer to me. "Go for a stroll with me?" She asks quietly.

I raise an eyebrow. "Won't they notice?" I gesture to everyone else.

She grins. "Nah. They'll all be too drunk to recognize themselves soon." She gets up. "C'mon let's go."

I look back at Loki's empty chair, mulling over his words. What reason does he have to dislike her? Maybe this is my way of finding out. I smile and get up, then follow her out the door. 


	11. What?

I walk with the woman through the hallways until she stops and turns to me, now standing beside a doorway. "This is my room." She smiles, opening the door. She goes inside, holding the door for me as I follow her in.

Her room is much bigger than Loki's, which I find strangely hilarious, considering he's a prince and she's.. I don't know. A noble of some sort, I assume. Her room has two levels, one down lower with a bunch of couches, and one a step up above which holds a ginormous bed and dresser.

She sits down on one of the couches, gesturing for me to sit across from her. I do, waiting for her to say something. She gazes at me for a few moments, with a saddened look in her eyes. Why is she so sad? Could it have something to do with why Loki dislikes her so much?

"I bet you're wondering why I brought you here, Cameron." She says.

I smile. "You could say that." I meet her gaze, suddenly realizing that I don't know her name. "I don't believe I caught your name."

"Ma'am." She corrects.

My smile falters for a second, but I quickly bring it back. Even if I wasn't a servant, she's still my better. "Ma'am." I remedy. "My mistake."

She laughs. "I didn't know if you would do it." She leans forward, and grasps my hand. "Don't worry about it, we're equals now." She lets go of my hand and leans back. "I'm Sigyn."

I nod, but then my eyes widen as her name clicks. Sigyn. Loki's wife. "You're..." I sputter. "Loki's wife?"

Her eyes sadden, but she smiles. "Not anymore. We've been broken up for many centuries. He's just yet to make it official, though he shows his distaste for me."

I feel my heartbeat relax, my worries of her suddenly bringing me here to hurt me in a jealous rage gone. I bite my lip, unsure of how to respond. After a few minutes of sitting in silence, Sigyn speaks up.

She sighs. "I'm sorry, you're not here to listen to me ramble on about the past." Her gaze meets mine. "You're here for a different reason."

"And what is that?" I ask, looking into her eyes.

She smiles lopsidedly. "I wanted to ask you a question.. it's very personal, and probably strange, but..."

"I don't mind." I tell her, already knowing where this is going. Maybe this time I can get some answers about why everyone keeps asking me this.

"Are you pregnant?" She asks finally.

For about the fourteenth time, I shake my head no. "I'm not." I tell her. "Do you know why everyone keeps asking me that?"

She laughs softly. "You mean he hasn't told you? You must be important then."

Despite how solemn she sounds, I have to laugh. "Important? Not in the way you're thinking. We're just ..." What exactly were we? A Midgardian and a god? A servant and a master? A subject and a king? I don't honestly know.

"Friends?" Sigyn prompts.

"Friends, yes." I accept. That will work for now.

She smiles knowingly. "Friends it is, then." Her gaze suddenly loses focus, and she mutters to herself. "That's how the ones before were as well, in the beginning."

The ones before? What on Earth is she talking about? I clear my throat awkwardly, and she snaps out of it, meeting my gaze. "Sorry." She says. "You probably have no idea what I'm talking about."

"I don't." I agree. "But you do."

She sighs. "Sadly, you are correct." She meets my gaze again. "The reason everyone keeps asking you if you're pregnant is because the maiden before you was tricked into thinking that she was pregnant by Loki. Only he and Lady Sif knew the truth."

There was a maiden before me?! I feel a surge of jealousy run through my veins. He told me that this was the first time he had done this with a human, the switching back and forth between worlds. That means for this other maiden, and who knows how many others, he actually brought them to Asgard. And yet he only brought a part of my mind.

What is a part of a mind compared to an actual live person? Suddenly feeling the need to escape, I stand up, ignoring the burning behind my eyes. "I'm sorry, Sigyn, Ma'am, but I need to go." I don't deserve to be an equal to her. I'm not even fully here. I run out the door, now blind, because the tears that were threatening have finally come.

I turn randomly, not caring where I'm going. I just need to leave. To get out of here. I see the world darkening, and I know I'm about to go back to Midgard. Good. I slip into a random room, closing the door just before I black out.

A/N: Really short chapter, but I think it's fitting considering the circumstances. Once again, thank you for reading. :) -Elodymia


	12. Back To Asgard

I wake up freezing and covered in a layer of snow. Still feeling angry, I stand up and shake myself off. I just can't believe it. What was I thinking, going to Asgard? I don't care if part of my mind is stuck there for the rest of my life, I'm never going back. No matter how much he asks, or how much trouble he gets in. I don't belong there. He clearly doesn't think so, so why should I?

I trudge back inside, and make some hot chocolate. Hot chocolate has always relaxed me, even in the middle of summer. After it's done, I make my way to the living room, where my mom is sitting reading a book.

"How long was I outside?" I ask.

She looks up and checks her watch. "About an hour. Why do you ask?"

An hour!? It only took and hour to go through all of that? "Wow." I respond. "It seemed much longer."

She smiles. "Well I hope you had fun." She goes back to her book.

Knowing that she won't hear me, I mutter to myself. "Depends on your definition of fun." I sigh and finish my hot chocolate, wondering when Loki's going to notice that I'm missing.

I put my mug in the sink and go into my room. Not knowing what else to do, I grab a book and start reading.

Going from world to world so suddenly is definitely mind bending, whether it be from Asgard to Midgard, or from Midgard to this book's world. After a little while of reading, I get a headache, and have to stop. I rub my temples, trying to get it to go away. I hate these headaches. I can't concentrate on anything.

I smile. I can't concentrate on anything. That means that even when Loki does come, I won't be able to go to Asgard. Although it does seem to be taking him a while. Maybe he got drunk and forgot about me. It would make the most sense.

I spend the rest of the day doing random things like chores, playing with my dog, and attempting to read. My headache never goes away, in fact, it gets worse. By the time I lie down to go to sleep, I have basically stopped worrying about Loki. I just need to sleep. Hopefully I'll be better in the morning. I shut my eyes and fall asleep.

* * *

I wake up in the dark, and I immediately know that I am not in my room. I press my palm against the ground to get up, and I feel .. a rug? Carpet? Where am I?

I peer into the darkness, trying to pick out shapes. Nothing. I can't see anything. That's when it hits me. Asgard. The random room. I'm in Asgard. But where? And how can it be so dark?

Starting to feel a hint of panic, I turn around. There's got to be a door here somewhere. That's how I got in here, after all. I stumble forward a few steps until I reach a wall. I feel along it, looking for a switch, a door handle, something, but there's nothing. The panic rears up again, but I push it down. It's okay. I've been through this before, going down the steps to see Fenrir.

But that was with Loki. I close my eyes, fighting against my turmoil of emotions. I don't need him. I'm fine. I can do this. I just need to find the door. I place my right hand against the wall and start walking.

I don't feel anything. It's just a wall. A straight, flat wall that seems to go on forever. It's very disorienting, moving without being to see anything. I close my eyes. There's no reason to keep them open, the view is pretty much the same. Pure darkness. The only thing that is visible is my dress, which is shimmering softly, so at least I know I'm not blind. There is nothing in front of me, just open floor.

After a few hours, I start to feel angry. Angry at Sigyn for telling me what I wanted to know, at Loki for not telling me what I need to know, and angry at myself for being so foolish and feeling that I had to know. I didn't need to know. Maybe this would have all been fine, I would have just happily served Loki for who knows how long. He would have his secrets, and I would have peace.

I stop and sit down, leaning back against the wall. It's too late now. I'm not sure if this is Asgard anymore. Asgard is big, but surely it's not big enough to hold a room this large. Also, there's no sign of Loki anywhere. I'm pretty sure by now he would have noticed I'm missing.

I sigh, placing my head in my hands. All this walking, and I'm not even tired. Though I know now that there's nothing else in here but me. If there was, I'm pretty sure it would have gotten me while I was passed out. However long that was.

I try to peer into the darkness again. Still nothing. I sigh again. I just want to go back to Midgard. I never even meant to come here! Why was I pulled here? Was it because of something I did? Or someone else? Maybe the only way to get back to Midgard is by discovering who's responsible. And the only way to find that out is to keep going.

Now more determined, I stand up, my hand steadying me against the wall. I start walking again, envisioning a crack in the wall, a door handle, a lever that opens a trapdoor... something. But there is nothing. I continue to walk, even as there continues to be nothing. There will be something, eventually. There has to be.

I start to fantasize about what it would be like, to find a door handle and pour out into the hallway, to pull down a lever that opens a door and race towards it with everything I have, maybe even find a small little button...

My hand brushes over something sticking out form the wall. Is that a button? I stop, and run my hand over it again, feeling the hard indentation. My heart soars, and I smile, giddy. That's a button. My way out, my salvation. I quickly press it. Just as soon as I do, the floor disappears beneath my feet, and I fall through darkness.

I hit a slide-like thing, and it tilts steeply downward, sending me further and further down. I scream, unable to hide my fear anymore, but then it levels out, and I slow down. Unfortunately, my momentum does not slow down enough, and I smack face-first into something solid.

"Ooow" I groan, pushing myself away from the wall. That hurt. I squint, trying to see what I ran into. To my surprise, I can see. I ran into a door. Light is pouring out the crack at the bottom, which is allowing me to see. I smile. Finally some light.

I reach forward and open the door, leaving the darkness behind. The light blinds me temporarily, causing me to fall forward, away from the door. "Aaah!" I brace myself, expecting to hit the floor.

But I don't. Instead, I hang there, suspended in mid air. Tentatively, I open my eyes. Shimmering around me is green mist, magic of some sort, holding me in place. I look around. I'm in a place I recognize. Fenrir's chamber. Two others are in there with me, staring at me in shock. Fenrir and Loki. Both have their mouths agape, but Loki has his hand outstretched to me, no doubt catching me with his magic.

I start crying, glad to be finally rid of that darkness. I know I'm supposed to be upset at Loki, but right now, I don't care. Instead of anger, all I feel is relief. Loki slowly lowers me to the ground, then releases his magic, hurrying to my side. I fall to my knees, still sobbing uncontrollably. I'm so full of emotions, I don't know what to feel. My throat burns from my gasping breaths, but I don't care. I continue to cry.

Loki crouches next to me and gently puts his arms around me, hugging me. My hands instinctively grab his shirt, lessening my sobbing. I press into him. I was so scared. I just didn't realize it then. "Shh, shh" He comforts me, rubbing my back. "It's okay, Cameron, you're safe now. The darkness is gone."

When he says that, my breath hitches up, and my sobbing abruptly cuts off. I let go of his shirt and he lets go of me, leaning back and meeting my eyes. "How do you know that?" I ask, my voice hoarse. Is this some sort of trick?

His green eyes are filled with concern. "We still have a mental connection." He replies softly. "As soon as you were gone, I immediately looked in your mind to find out where you were."

I start to feel angry again. And how soon was "as soon as I was gone"? Was it as soon as he noticed? As soon as I left Asgard? And why would he even think that just looking in my mind to see where I am is okay? Why not just ask? That's still a mind link thing!

Sensing my anger, he moves away from me, closer to Fenrir, who is watching us with fascination. "How did you get to the darkness?" He asks, his voice still soft.

I look away. "I don't remember." I lie, crossing my arms. I can't believe he would just invade my privacy like that. What if he looked in my mind while I was in the bathroom or something? I grit my teeth as another thought occurs to me, this one relating to what Sigyn had said. What if he does it because I'm not physically here, because he can? Maybe with the other maidens that were here, he couldn't have a mind link with them. They were actually here.

He studies me for a few moments, noting my angry posture. The he speaks. "I believe we need to talk."

I slowly turn to face him, my angry gaze meeting his. "I agree."


	13. Having a Little Talk

As soon as I say that, Loki reaches out and grabs my arm, squeezing it tightly. I'm too drained to resist, and we teleport up to his room. I jerk my arm away and move away from him, refusing to look at him.

He sighs. "Please, Cameron, can't we just talk this out?"

I ignore him, staring at his books. I hear him sit down on his bed, just the softest whisper of fabric. His bed doesn't even creak. Stupid perfect Asgard. I don't even want to be here.

"You said you wanted to talk, so why aren't you speaking to me?" He asks.

I close my eyes, trying to hold back the rage that threatens to burst out of me. He doesn't know that I talked to Sigyn. It's natural that he's confused. Or he's lying to me. He is the god of mischief and lies, after all. I sigh and turn to face him, meeting his gaze. "I just wish you had told me." I say simply. If I say any more, I'm worried I will say something I will regret.

He frowns. "Told you what?"

My previous thought about not wanting to regret anything gets thrown out the window. I clench my fists. "Told me about the other maidens! And about how you tricked one of them into thinking she was pregnant!" I yell at him, unable to remain calm any longer.

The shocked expression on his face makes everything almost worth it. Almost. But I wasn't forced here to shock him. I'm here to get some answers. And some answers I will get. "Who told you that?" He asks, somehow sounding calm still.

I grit my teeth. "You know who." I respond testily. "You left me with her!"

His eyes visibly darken as he realizes who I'm talking about. "Sigyn." He hisses. His clenches his fists, clearly pissed. He quickly stands up, about to leave, but I raise a hand, stopping him. He looks at me, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Sit." I order, pointing back down at the bed. I don't care if I'm his servant or not. I need some answers.

Gritting his teeth, he slowly sits back down. He closes his eyes for a few seconds, then looks at me. "Yes. There were other maidens. I was going to tell you, eventually."

"And when was that?" I cross my arms. "After I had left Asgard for good? So that way I couldn't ruin whatever grand plan you have?"

Now he just looks confused. "Grand plan? What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about!" I yell. Tears start to burn behind my eyes. How can he not see it? "I am nothing more than an experiment to you, jumping back and forth between worlds. Something to test your mind powers on." I sigh, feeling defeated. Now that I've actually said it, it's like a huge weight has been set upon my shoulders. "You see nothing special about me, I am only a pawn in your game."

Loki is silent, not knowing what to say. After a few moments, he gets up and comes over to me. Cupping my face in his hand, he brushes away my tears with his thumb. He smiles sadly. "In order to play a game, there must be an opponent. And I have none."

I look up at him, my eyes still blurred. What is he trying to say? I can't help the feeling of hope that begins to rise in me. There has to be a reason why he dislikes Sigyn so much. Maybe this is why. She tried to turn me against him.

He drops his hand to his side, and I immediately miss the warmth of it. I shake my head. What am I thinking? I'm mad at him... aren't I?

Sensing my conflicted emotions, he continues. "You are very important, Cameron. You are not an experiment, and you are special." He pauses, meeting my gaze. He's smiling slightly. "This is the reason why you are only partly here, why you can jump in between worlds."

I look down at my hands, my emotions still swirling around. I don't understand what he's saying. Aren't I only partly here so he can practice his weird mind tricks? He touches my arm gently, causing me to look up at him again. His eyes shine with some unnamed emotion. "You are too important to have your life interrupted. It's as simple as that."

"What?"

He smiles. "You know what, Cameron. You have your entire life ahead of you on Midgard. You deserve to have that. And because you are special, because of how strong your mind is, you can have it."

I'm tearing up again. I was so wrong. So, so wrong. How could I have believed what Sigyn was telling me? He.. he cares about me. He really does. So much that he didn't want to take away my life on Midgard. Feeling a surge of gratitude, I hug him. "Thank you, my king." I whisper.

He gently hugs me back. "You're welcome, Cameron."

We remain in that position for some time before I pull away. I meet his gaze. "I'm sorry." I tell him. For doubting him. For wanting to never come back. For lying.

"It's okay." He says, smiling. "I forgive you." 


	14. Some Magic

"You never did answer my earlier question." Loki comments, now sitting next to me on his bed.

I laugh, my tears from earlier long gone. I feel as if I belong again. "You're right." I had forgotten about that. "You wanted to know how I got out." I look at him to see his response. He nods, so I continue. "To be totally honest... I'm not sure." I close my eyes, thinking back to then. "I was walking along with my right hand on the wall, trying to find a door, lever, anything. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing." I open my eyes and look at him. "I remember sitting down at one point, and a while after I got back up I found a button." I smile. "Actually it's really funny because at the time I was just thinking about what I would do if I found a button. I was really surprised."

After hearing that, Loki's eyes widen. "What?"

"I found a button." I repeat slowly."I was really surprised."

"No, no the other part!" He says urgently, meeting my gaze. "About how before you found the button, you were just thinking about finding one!"

"Yeah.. that was a thing." I say hesitantly. Was there some sort of problem?

He loses his urgent look, moving his gaze away form mine. "I wonder.." He murmurs softly.

"Wonder what?" I ask, now curious. What could be so interesting about a coincidence?

"It's nothing." He says, looking at me. "Only a theory."

I lean forward, propping my head in my hands. "Theories aren't nothing. Besides, haven't you kept enough form me?" I tease.

He mock glares at me. "Trust me, you'll hear this. But only when it's no longer a theory."

I roll my eyes. "Fine. Whatever you say, my king."

He sighs, then switches the topic. "So how did you like the food?"

"At the banquet? It was.. interesting." I respond. "Why are you asking?"

"Because you're usually passed out by now." He comments dryly.

I laugh, sitting up. "Be careful what you say! You could jinx it!"

He raises an eyebrow. "Could I?"

"Yes!" I look around wildly. "I need wood." I reach out to the bedpost and knock on it. "There. All set now." I turn back to Loki, and have to bite my lip to keep form laughing at his bewildered expression. "What is it?" I ask sweetly.

"What in the world are you doing?" He asks, mystified.

I laugh anyways. "Making sure you don't jinx it." I reply, shrugging. "I guess it's just a Midgardian thing."

"It most certainly is." He says, shaking his head. "A strange one at that."

I smile. It makes sense that it would seem strange for him. Just like how all of this is strange for me. Just then, I feel a familiar fuzziness takes over my senses, and the room begins to sway. "Guess it's got to be Midgardian wood." I mumble, just before I pass out.

I wake up in my bed, my head no longer pounding. I sit up and squint at the clock, curious to how long it's been. I almost fall back down in shock. 12:45!? How!? I went to bed at 10! I was in Asgard for what felt like days! I sigh, rubbing my eyes. I'm too tired for this. I lay back down and quickly fall fast asleep.

I wake up to my alarm and mentally groan, throwing my blankets back over myself. I had forgotten about school. Why did I have to be a good student? I sigh and drag myself out of bed, quickly throwing some clothes together for after my shower.

After getting the rest of the way ready (and checking first to make sure Loki wasn't lurking around anywhere), I make my way into the kitchen. Mom is already up, making some scrambled eggs.

"Could I have some of that?" I ask. It smells delicious, making my stomach grumble.

She turns to me. "Of course. There's enough here for both you and your dad."

"Awesome." I know she got up hours ago, so she already ate breakfast. I grab two bowls from the cupboard for my dad and I. The bowls are just in case we have to eat on the way. Just at that moment, my dad wanders into the kitchen, yawning loudly. I smile and hand him a bowl and a fork.

"Good morning." He says, his eyes still sleepy. I bet mine look the same.

"Morning." I reply.

Mom gets done with the eggs, and my dad and I both grab some, eating hungrily. Once we're done, we both put on our winter coats, grab everything we need, and head out the door.

"Want to drive?" My dad asks as we get in the truck.

I shake my head. It's too early. Besides, I wanted to try to go back to Asgard anyways. He starts the truck and we get going. I look out the window, and cast my mind to Asgard.

I wake up in a bed, covers all tucked up nicely around me. I sit up, looking around. Am I in Loki's room again? Why aren't there any books? Wait. This is my room.

I shake my head and get up. This is getting crazy. I need a certain place to wake up at, that way at least something will make sense.

"Are you suggesting that nothing makes sense?"

I nearly jump out of my skin, turning around quickly. Loki. He's reading my mind, again. "Why must you...!" I stop midsentence. There's no one there. I scan the rest of the room. Empty. The door connecting our rooms is firmly shut. "What?"

"Boo." He says, sounding like he's right behind me. I turn around again, but he's not there.

I cross my arms and turn to face the majority of the room. "Alright, where are you?"

"You mean you can't see me?" He asks innocently.

I roll my eyes. "You think I'd be asking that if I could?"

He chuckles, the sound reverberating around the room. "That's true." I hear a snapping sound, and he appears in front of me, smiling smugly.

"So you can turn invisible now?" I ask, my arms still crossed.

"You don't seem very impressed." He replies.

"I don't believe that you can turn invisible, that's all." I answer. "I have done research on you, after all."

He sighs. "You are correct. It was an illusion, one where you could hear me, but not see me."

"Why does this even matter?" I ask, starting to get bored.

"Because." He says, stepping closer to me. "It's magic. And magic is what we need to talk about."

I drop my arms to my sides, now interested. Magic? Does this have to do with his theory? The one he refused to mention until it was more concrete? "And what is it you have to say about this magic?" I ask, curious.

He smiles. "You have it."

I stare at him in shock. "You're joking." I say. "I'm a Midgardian, I can't possibly have magic. Not to mention this has never been even a slight possibility before!"

"It is possible." He replies, his eyes shining. "I know it."

I am silent, considering what he is saying. "But how?" I finally ask.

He frowns. "I am not entirely sure." He offers me his hand. "But for that, we need to talk to my mother."


	15. Talking to Frigga

Instead of teleporting, like I though we would, Loki leads me through the palace. We stop before a door, and Loki lets go of my hand to knock. I wiggle my fingers. He was gripping my hand rather tightly, and now that he's not, I need to get back circulation.

The door opens, and I hear a female voice call "enter". Loki steps inside, motioning me to follow. I quickly go in after him, shutting the door behind me. I turn around to see the room.

Inside, the room is much larger than Sigyn's. There is a large fireplace in the middle, with couches surrounding it. Up a step lies a set of table and chairs, and the walls are covered in draperies and paintings of flowers. There are also many bookshelves here, neatly filled with books. I look at Loki. His posture has relaxed. He seems completely at ease here.

"Where is.." I start to ask, but then a beautiful woman comes in from around a corner.

She smiles, her blue eyes gentle. "Loki."

"Mother." Loki replies, walking over to her. He kisses her hand. "You look lovely."

Her warm gaze meets mine, and I can't help but smile. There's something so comforting about it. "My queen." I say, bowing. There is no way I'm trying to curtsy again, especially in front of her.

I hear a chuckle, and my gaze darts over to Loki, who has clearly heard my thoughts. Resisting the urge to mock glare at him, I look back at the queen.

She smiles at me. "Hello my child. I see that you know better than to release your words so flippantly." She looks at Loki. "Unlike my son."

"You truly are lovely, Mother!" He insists.

"Ah, but is it only today?" She smiles knowingly at him.

He looks down, slightly embarrassed.

I smother a grin. "Thank you my queen." I tell her. I glance at Loki, who is now staring at one of the paintings.

She laughs. "You are very welcome, Cameron."

My gaze snaps up in shock. How does she know my name?

She laughs at my bewildered expression. "Not to worry, Cameron. I haven't been spying on you. You're the talk of the kingdom. It's not very often that a Midgardian comes to Asgard."

"Oh." Is all I respond. At least not often enough to be talked about. I glance at Loki, who is now looking at his mother.

Sensing the tension between us, Frigga smiles. "Why don't we all sit down. I'm sure there's a reason you both came here today."

"Yes, there is." Loki says, making his way to the couches. Frigga and I exchange a glance, then follow him.

After we're all settled on the couches, with Loki sitting next to me and Frigga across from us, Loki starts talking, cutting directly to the point.

"I believe that somehow, Cameron has magic."

Frigga leans back, shocked. "Cameron? But she's only a Midagardian!" She looks over at me. "No offense to you, of course."

I smile. "None taken. That was my reaction when he told me as well."

She nods, then looks back at Loki. "Why do you believe this is so my son?"

He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm not entirely sure... I believe it might have something to do with the way we are connected. That, and a distant memory. A memory with you."

"And how are you connected?" She asks, now looking curious.

I answer that, glad to be able to say something. "We have a mind link." I'm sure she knows what that is, so I don't elaborate any further.

"A mind link?" She says incredulously. She looks back at her son. "Loki, you know better."

Know better? Now I'm curious. I look back at Loki, wondering how he is going to respond.

"It was necessary." He replies, his eyes scanning the books on the shelves. "As I cannot leave."

"I know my dear." She says, taking one of his hands in hers. "It's just they're very.. dangerous."

I swallow nervously. Dangerous how?

He takes his hand back, standing up abruptly. "I know." His eyes glued to a book case, he strides over to it, plucking a book from the shelf. He turns back to us, his eyes giddy. "Mother I think this is it."

She stands up. "The distant memory?"

I stand up as well, feeling awkward to be the only one sitting. I'm surprised she switched topics so suddenly. Could the mind link really be that dangerous?

 _Or perhaps she knows her son too well._ A familiar voice says, inside my head. Frigga's voice. My eyes widen, and I look at Frigga. She winks at me before heading over to the dining room table.

"Come. We will look at it over here." She speaks aloud to the both of us.

I quickly go over to the table, curious about what the book says, and even more curious about Frigga. Why would she not say that aloud? Is it because of Loki? Can't he hear what she says in my head anyways?

Loki comes over, carefully cradling the book in his hands. He shows no signs that he heard what Frigga said in my head, so I guess that answers that question. He gently places the book on the table and nudges it to Frigga.

I peek at it, and I see why he was taking great care with it. It looks extremely old, the pages bound together by fraying thread, lines cracking the leather cover.

"I remember this book." Frigga muses, her fingers tracing lightly over the cover.

"What's so special about it?" I ask, unable to stay silent any longer. This is supposedly my magic, after all.

Frigga looks up at me, smiling. "It's a book describing ancient magic, magic that hasn't been seen in generations." She looks at Loki. "We had a lesson about it once, when you were first learning magic. That must be why the memory is so distant to you."

Loki nods. "That makes sense."

"What do you remember exactly?" Frigga asks, slowly opening the book.

"An illustration, and a little bit of what it was about."

"Show me." She reaches out and touches his temple. He closes his eyes, letting her see what he is thinking.

My breath immediately hitches, I'm worried she's going to find out why I'm really here, but after a few moments of neither of them moving, I relax. I'm sure Loki is more practiced than me at blocking his thoughts.

Frigga takes her hand back, biting her lip in concentration. She pages through the book, until finally she finds what she's looking for. "Here." She says, turning the book towards me. "This is what he is remembering."

I'm touched that she's trying to include me in this even though I'm not much help. I look at the illustration on the page, and my mouth goes dry. It's... alarming. The illustration shows a figure, drenched in shadow, but that's not what's unnerving. What's unnerving is that behind and around the figure is... chaos. Objects and creatures of any possible size and shape, darkness and light, colors and gray. The image itself seems to warp, as if it's 3D.

I shake my head and look back up at Frigga. "What is that?"

"It is a very old and powerful magic." Frigga says, looking hesitantly at Loki. "Are you sure this is what you think it is?"

Loki's eyes scan the illustration. "Where is the description?" Frigga carefully turns the page, and Loki silently reads what's written there. He nods. "That's definitely what it sounds like."

Frigga looks back at me. "I don't understand how this is possible... she's a Midgardian."

"She is more than that." Loki says, smiling. He meets my gaze. "That is definitely true."

I look down, feeling my cheeks redden. Why must he do this in front of his mother?

He chuckles, and I look back up at Frigga, who has an eyebrow raised at him, speculating.

"Hmm." She closes the book and places it back on the shelf.

Not wanting to be too close to Loki at the moment, I move back down to the couches. She sits across from me.

"So.." I start. "What is it?"

Frigga looks over at Loki, who sits adjacent to me. He nods, meeting her gaze. She sighs and looks back at me. "I know the illustration is... alarming, but I promise you that is not what it is truly like. You can control it. We could teach you." Loki nods beside her. "But there is also the chance that it could be the aftereffects of the bifrost. Some extra magic latched onto you. You could easily let it fade."

Let it fade? Why would I do that? It's not every day you learn you have magical powers. I meet her gaze. "I want to learn." I tell her. Honestly, I'm a little worried, but they said they would help me. Nothing could go that badly wrong, right? "What's it called?" I ask.

"Describing." Loki says. I look over at him. "It's called Describing."


	16. Describing

"Describing." I repeat for about the billionth time, rolling the word around in my mouth. Testing it. To see if it will somehow make sense. Me, a Midgardian, somehow getting special powers out of the blue? I don't understand.

"Yes." Loki says again, responding to my word. We're still in Frigga's room, but after they told me what the magic was called and what it could do, I went into sort of a state of shock. It's just very surprising. Especially since apparently only one individual in all of the nine realms can have this power at a time. One person out of trillions. It's crazy.

"It's also aptly named, don't you think?" Loki asks, reading my mind.

That snaps me out of it slightly, and I focus on him. "What?"

He smiles, glad I'm out of it. "Describing. The name. For what it can do."

"Pssh right." I shake my head. "How about The Power of Chaos? Or maybe Let's Give This Rare and Powerful Magic to a Weak Midgardian so She Can Accidentally Destroy The World?"

He frowns. "First of all, you're not weak. Second, you don't know if it can destroy the world."

Now I'm completely snapped out of it. I lean forward, narrowing my eyes at him. "You sure about that? You want to test it?" Why not? It's probably gonna happen eventually, right?

He meets my challenging gaze unmoved. I sigh, my sudden spurt of anger now gone. There's no point. I lean back, speculating. I had been so excited to learn, back before I really knew what it was. Now I'm not sure. When I had asked what could go wrong, I didn't expect the answer to be anything. Literally. Anything.

That's what it does, this Describing. Aptly named, as Loki had said. I describe things, and they pop into existence. At least that's how it's supposed to go, once I actually try it. I'm sure it's more complicated than that since it's super powerful and all, but what do I know? I look around the room, and when my gaze lands on the couch across from me, I give a start, realizing something. Frigga's gone.

"Where did..." I start, but Loki cuts me off, reading my mind again.

"She went to go make tea. She thinks it will help the shock." He replies. He leans back against the couch, his hands cupped behind his head. "While we're waiting why don't you try to describe something?"

My head snaps up, my panicked gaze meeting his bemused one. "Are you crazy? Did you not hear about what could go wrong?"

"If you don't practice, then something definitely will go wrong." He points out, his gaze firm.

I sigh. "I hate it when you're right." I hold my hands out in front of me, preparing to try something.

"Nonono." Loki says, leaning forward suddenly and grabbing one of my hands. "It's got to come naturally. Doing this won't help you at all." He squeezes my hand and then lets go.

I drop my hands back to my lap. "Then what do you suggest?"

He smiles and switches positions so he's now lying across the couch on his side, his head propped up in one hand. "Describe something to me." He says seductively, winking.

I roll my eyes. "Seriously?"

He nods. "Seriously. You should also do something you're familiar with, something you know from memory."

I stare at him for another second, then relent. "Fine" I close my eyes, taking a moment to think about what to describe. Memories fly through my mind, and I grab one at random. I smile. Perfect. I open my eyes and look at Loki. "I'm going to describe my dog."

"Go for it."

I picture my dog in my head, think hard about what he looks like, how he sounds, what he feels like. I hold my hands out in front of me and... nothing.

I drop my hands, feeling frustrated. "It didn't work!"

"Perhaps you're doing it wrong."

I stick my tongue of at him. "Like you would know, my kin..." I'm cut off by his hand suddenly covering my mouth, and I know I screwed up. His face is inches from mine, deadly serious. I can see bits of blue swirling in his green eyes, and I can't help but think how beautiful they are. I fall into them, letting my mind wander farther and farther away.

 _My mother is back._ He says in my mind, and I jump, snapped out of my daze, my eyes skirting around to see Frigga has entered, holding a tray with tea on it. Loki releases me, sitting back on the couch. I have the urge to follow him, but I squash it down. Why I am feeling like this?

"You really shouldn't stick out your tongue at others you know. " Loki says, drawing my gaze to him. He's smiling smugly. "Especially when they're trying to help you."

I follow along with his act. "Yeah well I'm sorry but your help did no good!"

"Now, now, dears." Frigga says, coming over and setting the tea on a small table she conjured between us. She meets his gaze, then mine. "There is no need to be fighting." She smiles kindly. "You just need to relax." She pours a cup of tea, handing it to me.

I accept it, nodding at her, and take a sip of the tea. I'm surprised when I recognize the flavor. Chamomile. It's what my mom always made whenever I was sick. The thought relaxes me, and I smile. "Thank you."

Frigga smiles. "You're welcome dear." She sits down next to me. "Now what seems to be the problem?" She meets my gaze. "Besides my son giving you bad advice, I mean."

"Excuse me?" Loki objects, but Frigga ignores him, waiting for my response.

I smother a smile and instead take another sip of my tea. "I'm not sure." I tell her honestly. "I'm describing it, but nothing's happening."

Frigga nods seriously. "It's bound to take time." She places her hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure you'll get it eventually."

I gently set my tea down on the table. "What am I doing wrong then?" I ask her.

"I told you!" Loki insists. I turn to him, raising an eyebrow. His gaze burns mischievously, and he smirks. "You're doing it wrong."

Instinctively, I grab the pillow that's beside me, and chuck it at him as hard as I can. That's what having an older brother teaches you. It hits him square in the face, and he stares at me, shocked, then starts laughing. I can't help it; I laugh too. I look over at Frigga, expecting her to be laughing too, but instead, she looks confused. My laughter slowly dies.

"My queen? What is it?" I ask cautiously.

Her gaze meets mine, and it's a mixture of amusement, confusion, and happiness. "There aren't any pillows." She tells me softly.

With that, Loki stops laughing. "What?" He asks, sitting up.

"There aren't any pillows." Frigga calmly repeats, the confusion now leaving her gaze. She smiles and turns to me. "Cameron, you did it!"

"I did it?" I repeat, looking at the pillow, which is now lying on the ground. Suddenly something clicks, and I realize I recognize it. It's a pillow from my couch at home! "I did it!" I stare at my hands in amazement. How did I do that?

"You let it come naturally." Loki answers my thoughts, smiling.

I meet his gaze, still confused. "But I didn't even think about it..."

"That's good." Frigga answers, next to me. I turn to her, meeting her warm gaze. "It shows what you can do, once you practice."

What I can do. I look at the pillow, considering. I didn't destroy the world. I threw a pillow. It was a natural reaction. A good thing. I relax slightly. If that's how this is supposed to work in the future, that that's good, because I'm pretty sure none of my natural reactions are going to be to blow up the world. I smile, happy. This is going to work. It's going to be fine.

"Now make it go away." Loki says, handing me the pillow.

My smile disappears. "What?" I look at the pillow. How can I make it go away? How would it go away? Just like.. poof?

"All magic can be undone." Frigga says calmly, giving me an encouraging smile.

"Okay then..." I reply hesitantly, staring at the pillow. I place it on the table. How do I do this? Let me think... I described it right? Can I just un-describe it? I close my eyes, picturing the pillow in my head. I imagine the cover falling away, leaving the white fluffy stuff underneath, I imagine the fluffy stuff evaporating like clouds, and the remaining threads unwinding themselves indefinitely, until there was nothing left.

I open my eyes. Loki and Frigga are both staring at me. I look at the table. The pillow's gone! "Yes!" I grin, giddy. "I did it!" Loki and Frigga exchange a glance. Noticing this, I look back and forth between them, slightly worried. "Didn't I?"

Frigga meets my gaze. "You did.. but..."

"You may have done it to all the pillows in the kingdom." Loki finishes.

"What!?"

A/N: What a way to learn how to do stuff! Side note: fluffy stuff. If you've noticed, Cameron can't describe things well. (And neither can I honestly.) Perhaps in order to learn to do her magic properly she will first need to work on that. The possibilities are endless...  
Well have a nice day/night, and once again, thank you for reading!


	17. Pillow-less?

As soon as I make my exclamation, no sooner than two seconds later Thor bursts in the room, sputtering and fuming. "LOKI!" He marches up to us, glaring dangerously at his brother, who looks at him coolly.

"Yes brother?"

Two of Thor's friends slip in and close the door softly, since it had been flung wide open. One of them I recognize as Hogun, his hand tightly gripping a weapon. The other is a woman with stark black hair, clad in silver armor. Frigga rises and walks over to them, talking quietly. I turn my attention back to Loki and Thor.

Thor seems to have forgotten about the presence of others in the room, including his mother, who is now looking over at him with an eyebrow raised. "WHAT ON ASGARD DID YOU DO?"

I have to chuckle at his expression, and his angry gaze flicks over to me. Caught momentarily, I meet his gaze, struggling to keep my expression neutral. He sighs, and looks back over at his brother, now calmer. "Seriously, Loki, what did you do?"

"What happened?" Loki asks, smiling smugly, because he knows he's just annoying his brother further.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Thor roars, angry again. "ALL OF THE PILLOWS HAVE DISAPPEARED!" He leans forward and grips the front of Loki's outfit, pulling him up off the couch. I can only stare, my mouth agape. How strong is he? "And I am sure you had something to do with it." He says softer, right in Loki's face.

Loki shrugs as best as he can. "You could be correct brother." He meets Thor's gaze. "However, I am sure not many people noticed the missing pillows." He smirks. "I'm certainly surprised you did."

Enraged by the insult, Thor moves as to throw Loki across the room, but luckily Frigga interferes, walking up and gently pushing the two apart.

"That's enough." She says sternly, glaring at the two. She looks over at Thor. "It is not Loki's fault." I tense, expecting her to rat me out, but she doesn't. Instead she waves her hand dismissively. "What does it matter anyways, when in a few hours all of the pillows will be replaced?"

Thor grumbles something under his breath.

"What was that, dear?" Frigga asks, her tone sharp.

He meets her gaze. "Nothing Mother." He looks around at each of us. "Sorry to bother you." He turns around and walks out, shutting the door behind him.

The warriors, however, do stay. They make their way over to us, bowing their heads to the queen. The woman eyes me with suspicion, then turns to Loki, smiling. "You know you just woke him up from a nap."

Loki chuckles. "That's what I figured." His gaze lands on me, and he straightens up. "Sif, I would like you to meet Cameron." He says, gesturing over to me. I smile meekly at the warrior. "Cameron, this is Lady Sif."

I stand up and hold out my hand. "Nice to meet you."

Lady Sif glares at my hand, then turns to the queen, promptly ignoring me. "Is there a place we could discuss some important matters?" She glances over at me. "In private?"

Well then. I can see when I'm not wanted. After meeting Loki's gaze, silently telling him what I'm going to do, I walk down the step and out of the room. Once outside, I lean against the wall, my eyes closed. I feel like I can breathe again. No more pressure to do something that I'm not entirely sure how to do, no more watching eyes of people I don't really know.. it's just me. Stuck in my head, up in Asgard. For a moment, there is nothing else. Then the moment passes.

"Cameron, was it?" A male voice asks next to me. I open my eyes to see Hogun leaning against the wall with me, his hands busy winding a piece of rope around some wood. I stare at his hands a moment, slightly mesmerized. His movements are slow, but precise. It's like he's done it a million times.

I snap out of it and meet his gaze. I smile. "Yes, sorry. I am Cameron."

"You're from Midgard, aren't you?" He asks, his words quick.

I flinch. Does everyone know? I thought it was supposed to be a secret! I nod once.

"You're a servant as well?"

My head snaps up, my gaze firmly locking with his. Now that is supposed to be a secret, at least from some people. "How do you know?" I ask, my tone suspicious.

His eyes flick down to the wood in his hands, and he wraps a few more rings of rope around it before answering. He meets my gaze again. "You're wearing white." He says it simply, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Lots of Midgardians wear white." I argue, trying to get him to think I'm not a servant. I don't want him to tell Thor, because Thor will definitely tell Odin. Things would go downhill from there.

He shrugs, as if he didn't care either way. "Very well then. But if you were a servant, you'd better get going. There's lots of pillows to make."

I open my mouth to argue something, insist that I'm not a servant, when I see Dessa race around the corner.

Her eyes light up when they see me. "There you are! Margaret and I have been looking for you everywhere!" She marches over to me, grabbing my arm. "We need to go."

"I..." I glance over at Hogun, who is looking at his piece of wood again, his face expressionless. I turn back to Dessa. "Fine, let's go."

She smiles in relief and lets go of my arm, running down the hallway. I quickly run after her, not noticing that now, Hogun is smiling.

I have work to do.


	18. Fixing a Mistake

I lace my hands together and stretch my fingers out, yawning. Who knew that making pillows was so much work? A few hours, Frigga had said. It's definitely been longer than that, or at least it's felt like it. I look over at Dessa, who is sitting at the sewing machine next to me, dutifully sewing another pillow together. She hasn't stopped for a break once. I don't know how she can do it.

"Oy! What do you think you're doing?" Margaret marches up behind me, hands on her hips.

I quickly grab another pillowcase and stuffing and prepare it to be sewed together. "I was only resting for a moment, Margaret." I explain.

She huffs. "We don't have a moment to spare, Cameron. These pillows need to be done by nightfall. The nobles are grumpy enough as it is since they're not able to take their usual naps."

"What a shame." I mutter under my breath, placing the pillow under the sewing machine.

"I heard that." Margaret says, "Wait 'til you get back to your prince, I bet he'll be in a real grand mood." She moves away to hound someone else.

I roll my eyes. I'm pretty sure Loki can sleep without a pillow. I start the machine and sew up the pillow. Once all together, I throw it in the basket that's between Dessa and I. Eventually someone will come around and collect all the pillows so they can be taken to the embroidery room. Luckily there's magic involved there, so it goes pretty quickly. Dessa had told me that's where she usually works when something like this happens, but I have a feeling she's here to keep an eye on me. I sigh and focus back on making more pillows.

After about my 30th pillow, Dessa speaks up. "You know Margaret didn't mean Prince Loki would be upset because of the lack of pillows."

I glance over at her. She's still working, so I keep working too. "Oh really? Then why would he be upset?"

When she speaks, I can hear a slight smile in her voice. "He would be upset because he has been this long without you."

I stop my machine momentarily, and look over at her, my eyes wide. She is smiling. "Excuse me?"

She stops her machine too, after looking around briefly for Margaret. She leans over closer to me, lowering her voice. "You are his personal servant, after all."

I snort. "Right. Like I've been doing much of that lately." I narrow my eyes at here. "There was something else, though, wasn't there?"

She leans back, still smiling. "Perhaps. But now is not the time to tell you that."

"Then what was the point of all this?" I ask. She shakes her head and starts her machine again. "You can just tell me, you know."

"I will." She says, sewing a pillow together. "But not now."

"Why not?" I lean closer to her. "Is it some sort of secret?"

She shakes her head and throws the pillow in the basket. "It's just that now is a time for working, not idle gossip."

"Why can't there be both?" I ask.

"Because you don't seem to be doing very much work, Cameron." A familiar voice says behind me. I gulp and turn around. It's Margaret again.

"Hi..." I start, then trail off, seeing the stern look she's giving me.

"Dessa is correct, now is definitely not the time for idle chatter." Margaret scolds. I nod, slightly embarrassed, and go to grab another pillowcase, but she stops me, laying a hand on my arm. I look at her, confused. She raises her fingers to her lips and whistles sharply once. I wince, the sound piercing through my ears. Quickly, another servant girl rushes over.

"Yes Ma'am?" She asks.

"What is your station, Bertha?" Margaret asks quickly.

"I run the pillows to the embroidery room, Ma'am." She answers, clearly confused as I am.

"It is no longer. You will be switching places with Cameron here." Margaret tugs on my arm, and I get up, moving out of my seat. Bertha glances over at me, then sits down. She immediately starts making pillows.

"There's a basket full of pillows." Margaret says, letting go of my arm and nodding towards the basket. "Hop to it." She walks away.

Eager to not get into any more trouble, I grab all of the pillows that I can hold and run off to the embroidery room. It's warm in there, and there's pieces of thread flying everywhere because of the magic being used. My eyes scan the room until I see where the incoming pillows go, and I dump them in that pile. I quickly grab two empty baskets and speed back out, dodging bits of thread as I go.

I race off to the sewing tables and switch out two of the baskets and run back. None of the other servants pay me any mind. They don't seem to notice that I'm not who was doing it before. I do this again and again. After a while, I start to become really tired, but I don't dare slow down my pace. I realize now how much of a luxury sewing the pillows together was. It may have been repetitive and boring, but at least I got to sit and rest.

It's happening again. The rooms are starting to blur together. I push against it, determined not to pass out. Not yet. I have to finish. I switch out another basket, this one by Dessa. I have to finish... I take another step, and the world twists sideways. I black out.

* * *

I wake up just as we're pulling into the parking lot of the school. Wait... school!? Now fully aware of my surroundings, I look around wildly. I'm back on Midgard. Time had gone so long in Asgard, I had nearly forgotten that I was on my way to school when I left. It's only a twenty minute drive, too. I rub my eyes, yawning. I'm so tired.

"Here's your lunch bag." My dad says, holding it out to me.

I smile and grab it. "Thanks." I open the door and get out of the truck. I sling on my backpack.

"Have a good day!" He calls, waving slightly at me.

I wave back. "You too." I close the door and head into school.

After getting everything I need for my first class, I head there. Why anyone thought having Chemistry first thing in the morning is crazy to me, but it's too late to change anything now. I sit next to my friend Missy.

"Morning, Cameron." She greets, halfway through a yawn.

"Morning." I respond, yawning as well. Yawning is pretty contagious, after all.

She squints at me. "Are you okay? You're normally much more awake in the morning."

I smile at her meekly. "I'm just really tired." I tell her. So tired that I could pass out. Not that I haven't done that before or anything, say like in another realm. I mentally chuckle. If only she knew.

"You seem like it." She responds. "Had trouble sleeping?"

I frown, trying to remember. Last night feels like so long ago. Did I go to Asgard? Probably. Wait... that was when I woke up in the dark room. I smile wryly. "I don't think it went too well, no." I say.

She frowns. "Well I hope you sleep better tonight."

"Thanks." I reply. Just then, our teacher comes in, and I focus back on school.

I go through school in a sort of daze, hardly noticing when Loki pops in to make snide comments in my classes, such as: "You Midgardians have only discovered 117 elements? You've barely scratched the surface." or "Does your race ever learn from its mistakes?"

I learn to just ignore him. Why? Because one, I know he's only joking. (Sort of) Two, if I do react, it gets really awkward, really quickly. I'm not one of those kids who talk to themselves, much less have a heated discussion in the middle of class with thin air about how math is not a bunch of gibberish some old guys made up. Needless to say, I told my teacher my conscious was arguing with me, and he just shook his head and moved on.

I am relieved when school finally ends. I can go home! I drive home with my dad, successfully not hitting anything. Once we reach home, I go straight to my room, throw down my bag, and flop on my bed. I had meant to grab a book or something, but there's nothing I can do as my eyes close, and I fall fast asleep. 


	19. The Forbiddon Art Gallery

I wake up on Asgard in a large, dark chamber. Torches line the walls, casting some light but it's still pretty hard to see. I sit up, looking around. This doesn't look like the sewing room. Where am I? There are many objects in here, all of them covered with sheets of some sort. They're a bunch of shapes and sizes, and along with them, there are items hanging on the walls.

One of the items catches my eye, and I get up to look at it. It's not covered by a sheet, for some strange reason. I think it might be a painting. I can't tell for sure, not until I get closer. I take a couple of steps forward, but then suddenly, my arm is grabbed from behind. Letting out a surprised yelp, I quickly turn around, my hands raised.

"Shh!" Someone grabs my hands. "Be quiet! Don't you know where we are?"

It takes a few moments for my eyes to adjust, but then I see who it is, and my heart ceases its rapid hammering. It's Dessa. "Dessa!" I whisper shout. I jerk my hands out of her grasp. "What's going on? Where are we?"

He mouth is set in a firm line. "We're not supposed to be here. We need to leave." Her eyes dart around quickly, searching for something.

That's when it hits me. She's scared. I slowly turn in a circle, looking at the items here. Everything here is strangely shaped, there's no sort of pattern or anything. My eye catches on the painting again, and I can't help but move closer to it. It's so enchanting.. like a million galaxies swirling about the cosmos. The longer I stare at it, the more lost I seem to become in it. It's beautiful. So so beautiful. It reminds me of life and loss, of music and silence. I could probably stand here forever just looking at it...

I'm jerked out of my trance when a sheet is thrown over the painting, blocking my view. I quickly back up, shaking my head. What was that? Some sort of hypnotic painting?

"Cameron are you okay?" Dessa asks, appearing in front of the now-covered up painting.

I shiver, rubbing my arms. "I'm not sure." I tell her honestly. "What is that thing?"

"A painting." She says simply, walking up to me. She grabs my hand and sits down, pulling me down with her. "An enchanted painted, made to hypnotize you away from all of your worries."

I shiver again. It did hypnotize me. "Who would paint such a thing?" I ask, meeting Dessa's gaze.

Her gaze never wavers. She is completely serious as she says: "Why the queen, of course."

"What!?" I gasp. Why would the queen create something to forget all of her worries? She seems so... strong.

Dessa nods sadly. "I'm sure she had her reasons, as it was right after Prince Loki had.." She trails off and closes her eyes, as if remembering a painful memory. "Well I'm sure you know."

Was it after he tried to take over Earth? I don't see how that's such a big problem. "I'm.. not sure I do, actually." I tell her hesitantly. When she looks at me in surprise, I shrug. "Midgardian, remember?" I remind her.

She looks down. "That's right, I had forgotten."

Suddenly, we hear a crashing noise down the hallway. We both stand up in alarm. "Dessa, what is this place exactly?" I ask in a whisper, watching where the noise had come from for movement.

"This is the Forbiddon Art Gallery." Dessa whispers back, her voice full of fear. "If we're caught, we'll both be in a lot of trouble." She turns to me, her face now ashen. "You have to get us out."

"Me?" I ask. "What can I do?"

"The same this you did to get us in here: teleport."

I stagger backwards a step in surprise. Teleport? Me? I can't teleport! Can I? My eyes scan the chamber again. Or... maybe I can. How else could I have gotten here? I don't think Dessa can teleport. I sigh. Yet another new thing to figure out. "Okay then." I say, meeting Dessa's gaze. "How do I do it?"

"How do you do it!?" She exclaims. She shoves me lightly on the arm. "You're the one who got us in this mess, and you don't even know how to get us out?"

"I know how to get us out!" I retort.

"Really? Then how?" She crosses her arms.

I smile. "By teleporting."

"Arrgh!" She shoves me in the arm again. "You're just like your Prince."

I bite my lip, thinking about that. Could that be true? Am I becoming more and more like Loki? I have been feeling a bit more mischievous lately..

"Hello?" Dessa waves her hand in front of my face. "Escape now, think later?"

I nod. "Right." Let's do this. I stretch out my fingers. I can do this. I close my eyes, remembering before I had woken up in Asgard. A series of images were flashing through my head, memories, places I've never seen before, pictures of unknown people. I remember sort of choosing one, and then I woke up here.

I open my eyes. "Okay." I meet Dessa's gaze. "I think I know how to do this." I smile, trying to make it convincing. I certainly don't feel convinced. "We're going to get out of here." I close my eyes again and pull myself of Asgard.

* * *

I wake up feeling disoriented. I'm still in my bed. Grateful I'm not teleporting here, I close my eyes again and send myself back to Asgard. This time, I pay more attention to the images that are flashing by my consciousness. They're all hazy, not quite complete. It makes me dizzy just looking at them. I choose one at random, hoping that it's not back in the Forbidden Art Gallery.

I wake up gasping, with Dessa right beside me. "Oooh." She groans, holding her head. "If you were ever awake while teleporting, you would feel terrible."

"I'm new at this, okay?" I sit up, rubbing my eyes. It's so much brighter here, and aside from Dessa, all I can hear is a loud rushing sound, like running water. I look around, now able to get a clear look, and my jaw drops open of it's own accord. "Whoah." We're on top of a rock - one that's floating way above a gigantic waterfall. The waterfall cascades into what appears to be an endless ocean.

Carefully I stand up, looking around in wonder. "This is amazing." I breathe. I never even knew this was here. Far off in the distance, I can see a glint of gold off of the castle.

"What is it?" Dessa gets up, sees the waterfall, then immediately sits back down again. "I can't believe this."

I sit down next to her, sure that my eyes are sparkling with excitement. "This is so cool! I can go anywhere!"

"Once you control it, that is." Dessa reminds me. "Perhaps it's best we don't try it again."

I look at her questioningly. "Why not?"

"Look where we are!" Dessa explains, gesturing to the rushing water underneath. "What if you had missed this rock?"

I look down at the water, a feeling of dread filling me. She's right. If I had missed... we'd both be dead.

"Now we need to find a different way off of this rock." Dessa continues. "Without teleporting."

"Wait." I hold up a hand, stopping her. "First, you owe me some answers."

"Not about your Prince, I hope." She smiles. "That secret I'm holding onto for quite a while."

I smile back. "No it's not about that." Even though I will find out about that eventually. "I was wondering why you're with me when I teleport. Don't you have to be touching someone else to bring them with you?" I think back to all the times I had teleported with Loki, which always began with him grabbing my arm and squeezing it tightly.

"Now you ask a question I can answer." Dessa says gladly. "We're connected."

I frown, confused. "How is that?"

"I'm your servant, remember?" She reminds me. "Not only that, I'm your only servant. Therefore you and I are connected similarly to how you and Prince Loki are connected."

"Through a mind link?" I ask, worried. She can't know I consider Loki my king, or how I'm not really fainting because I'm tired.

Her eyes widen. "You and Loki have a mind link?!"

My eyes widen as well. I don't think I was supposed to say that. "Um well sort of but maybe that's not what it really is..." I scramble for an explanation. "I just heard it somewhere in the hallways I guess.."

"Wow." She says, looking impressed. "Mind links are really rare."

I stop my stuttering and look at her with interest. "Really?"

She nods. "Yes. Only those with really strong minds can sustain one."

"Cool." I smile. Then a thought occurs to me. "Hey." I look at her seriously. "What is it you were saying earlier, about Loki? Something he had done?"

"Ah." Her smile falls. "I had hoped you had forgotten about that." She meets my gaze. "Prince Loki tried to kill himself."


	20. A Suddon Drop

Dessa explains to me a little bit about what happened. It was before Loki came to Midgard. Something I now realize was perhaps the reason he ended up on Midgard in the first place. After an incident with Thor being sent to Midgard... Loki was given the throne. Odin had fallen into this thing called the Odinsleep - something he needed to do to recharge his energy. Apparently Odin never sleeps. For some reason, that doesn't shock me. What shocks me is this: after being given the throne, Loki, fueled by jealous anger, attacked Thor and tried to destroy an entire race. That race being what Dessa told me, after much prying, is the Frost Giants. They're not talked about much here. Evidently they're the mortal enemies of all of Asgard. Anyways, Thor came back to Asgard to stop Loki, and Loki, consumed by despair, jumped off the bridge leading to the bifrost and into the void beyond. Everyone thought he was dead, and the kingdom was devastated. That is until he was found destroying Midgard much later.

Seeing my shocked expression, Dessa winces. "I guess you really didn't know."

"I wouldn't lie about not knowing something like that!" I exclaim. My mind is spinning. What caused him to feel the need to take his own life? Was it Thor? Something Odin did? Or maybe it was something else.. something hidden. Whatever it is, if he's still feeling that way, I'm going to help.

I shake my head and meet Dessa's gaze. "Sorry, it's a lot to take in."

She nods, her expression still grim. "I understand."

I look around, suddenly noticing how dark it's getting. How long have we been sitting here? "Um Dessa?" I say, feeling nervous. Is it just me or does this rock seem closer to the water below?

"What is it?" She asks, just before the rock drops beneath us, leaving my stomach lurching.

Letting out an undignified screech, I find myself in freefall. Time seems to slow down. Wide eyed with shock, Dessa and I meet each other's gaze. I look down, and my heart drops. The rock is gone. Only water remains. And with how far up we are, when we hit, it's going to feel like concrete.

We start falling. Panic and adrenaline rush into my veins. I don't want to die! I close my eyes shut. I've got to teleport us. We have to get out of here. I won't let us die. I pull myself out of Asgard... it doesn't work.

I open my eyes in a panic. The air is rushing past us, faster and faster, tearing my cries from my mouth and the air from my lungs. I can't breathe. I can't leave. I can't think, because all I can think of is the air rushing past and the big blue water that's rising up so quickly... I don't want to die. I don't want anyone to die. Squinting my eyes through the tears, I manage to look over at Dessa. She looks terrified. Seeing her expression makes my panic ease slightly, just enough so I can think rationally.

First off, I'm still breathing. I know this because the air is rushing so quickly through my lungs that they feel as if they are going to explode at any moment. Second, we're not hitting the water yet. I still have time. Surely with this grand power of mine, I can think of something. I close my eyes again, trying to picture something. A giant inflatable lake trampoline. Parachutes. A squishy mattress. Wings suddenly sprouting. Anything. But nothing seems to stick. The ideas pop into my head, then fly out as soon as they come. I can't do anything. Not by myself. My thoughts trail off to Loki. I wonder how he's going to react when he finds out about this...

Wait. That's it! Loki! We have a mind link! In my panic ridden state, I didn't think of it sooner. "Loki!" I scream into the wind. "Help!" The water rushes closer, and I begin to doubt if this will work. "Please!" I'm starting to panic again. I'm not completely here, I don't know what happens if I die. Will I be in a coma back on Midgard? Will part of my brain just be missing forever? Or will I just die, completely and unexpectedly, never to wake up again?

My parents are going to be so devastated. This is my last thought before a chasm opens up before me, and I pass out.

* * *

I wake up with my heart pounding in my chest. With adrenaline coursing through my veins it takes me a few seconds to realize where I am. I'm in my room. I almost cry in relief. I'm not dead. I must have passed out just in time. I feel fine, although my head feels fuzzy, and I can't exactly remember what happened. It's like it was all just a dream. I know I was falling, and I was about to hit the water when I passed out. But there's something else that should be there too. A nagging feeling deep inside my core. I can't quite identify what it is.

It's not a nice feeling, whatever it is, so I push it aside and sit up, thinking about what to do next. The sun is still in the sky, so I assume I wasn't out for that long. I don't dare attempt to go back to Asgard. Even if.. my heart twinges at the thought.. I may never see Loki again.

My thoughts are so consumed, I don't even notice when my mom walks in. She sits down next to me, clearly sensing some of my distress.

"What's up?" She asks, startling me out of my daze.

I quick glance over at her then look away, focusing on the wall. She can't know. She'll think I'm crazy. "Nothing." I lie. "I'm fine."

She sighs, then grabs my shoulders and turns me towards her. Her calming gaze meets mine. "It's not nothing. I can tell something is on your conscience."

"Well..." I tear my gaze away from hers and focus on my hands instead, which are folded neatly in my lap. "I just have this strange feeling." I try to explain. "And it's not a good feeling. It's also like I've forgotten something, something important."

She frowns, considering the possibilities. "I don't know what you could be forgetting, but the feeling could be..." She pauses as she looks for the right word. "Guilt?"

"Guilt?" I repeat, looking up at her. Guilt for what?

She smiles and pats my shoulders once, then places her hands in her own lap. "Maybe guilt for forgetting whatever it is you've forgotten."

"Oh." I frown. That makes sense, I guess. But I feel like maybe there was something more to it than that.. I sigh and shake my head, meeting my mom's gaze. "I'm sure it will come to me eventually."

"I agree." A familiar voice says, surprising me. Loki. I do my best not to act surprised, especially in front of my mom.

"Well I guess I better get started on my Chemistry homework." I blurt out, trying to get her out of here so she doesn't see me talking to Loki and think I'm crazy.

"Alright." She gets up and pats me on the head. "Let me know if you need any help." She starts for the door.

I narrow my eyes suspiciously at her. "Didn't you fail Chemistry?" I ask.

She laughs. "You're right." She opens the door and winks at me. "Let me know, and I'll tell your dad."

I laugh and she leaves, closing the door behind her. I immediately spin around to face Loki. "What is it? What did I forget?" I ask him, but then I stop, seeing his appearance.

His normally bright green eyes are dull, and he looks exhausted. "What happened?" I ask, feeling slightly scared.

He meets my gaze. "I would suggest you go look and see." He even sounds tired.

Look and see? But what if I'm dead? Then a different thought occurs to me, slicing across my brain unbidden. What if someone else is dead? I start to feel anxious. Is this why I'm feeling guilty? I close my eyes. I could be the cause. I could be the reason Loki is looking so tired right now. I take a deep breath. There's only one way to find out. I cast myself off to Asgard.

* * *

I wake up soaked, freezing, and in the dark, but I am very much alive. I hear someone coughing beside me, and that's when everything comes rushing back, including the reason for my guilt.

"Dessa!" I lurch forward in the darkness, feeling around on the... stone? floor. "Are you okay?" I can't see anything. Not even my dress is glowing this time, which makes me think there was something really weird about that room I was in. The coughing gets more intense, and I move towards it. If Dessa was dead... I don't know what I'd do. It would be all my fault.

Finally, my hand touches some wet fabric. "Dessa?" I ask, trying to figure out who it is. I reach up towards the direction of a face, but immediately pulls away as my hand touches something slimy. "What?!" I exclaim. Is something attacking Dessa?! Unbiddingly, a pillow appears in my other hand. Not much of a weapon, that's for sure, but it will have to do.

I bring it down with all of my might on the slimy thing.

"OWWWW!" I hear something screech, and suddenly, the world is filled with light. I squint, not able to see much, but there's a white blob in front of me, and I'm pretty sure that's Dessa. The green blob tightening itself around her neck? Probably not Dessa. I bring the pillow down again, this time more accurately.

"OWW" the thing screeches again, then unwinds itself from Dessa's neck and moves off somewhere else. My vision sharpens, and now I can see where we are. We're in a large cavern, the rock dripping with water. But that doesn't matter now. I crouch over Dessa, who is coughing once again.

"Dessa are you okay?" I ask, panicked. Her breathing is shallow, and her face looks almost blue. That thing was choking her!

"Get out of the way, you useless twit!" An annoyed voice demands. Something shoves me to the ground, then moves towards Dessa again. All I can see is green and scaly, so I reflexively hit it with the pillow again. It hisses in pain. "Will you not see that I'm trying to help her?!" The voice exclaims, sounding irritated. Something wraps around my middle, pulling me away from Dessa.

I look down. It's another green scaly thing. I try to wriggle free. "Stop it, you're suffocating her!" I yell, hitting the green thing with my pillow. Unlike the green thing crouched over Dessa however, this thing doesn't release me. Instead, my pillow gets ripped out of my hand. "Hey!"

"Shut up and contact Loki, would you?" The voice, which now I recognize has a distinctive raspy quality, hisses right behind me. I try to turn around and look, but the green thing around my waist tightens, restricting my movement. "Do it!" It orders. "Or else I'll find a way to make you do it!"

"Why should I?" I ask. "You're hurting my friend!"

It mumbles something in frustration, and I hear brief snippets of what it's saying "stupid...father...Midgardian..." So this thing knows I'm a Midgardian, huh? Well I don't care. It shouldn't be hurting my friend.

Screwing up all my strength and concentration, I attempt to Describe a knife. It doesn't work. I pound my fists against the green thing in frustration. "Let me go!"

"I won't." The voice replies. and to my horror, I realize the voice and the green scaly thing are one entity, something I recognize. It's a giant snake. The green scaly things are coils of its body. Slowly, the coil around me shifts so that I am turned around; making it so that I am now face to face with the gigantic snake. Its yellow eyes glare at me. "Now unless you want to be hurting as much as your friend, I suggest you call Loki." It threatens. "That way your friend will actually survive the next few minutes."


	21. Giant Caverns and Talking Snakes

Hit with the reality of how close Dessa is to dying, I close my eyes and attempt to contact Loki. _Hello?_ I try. We've got a mind link, so he should be able to hear me. But then I remember his haggard appearance, and my heart drops. If he can.

I shake away my morbid thoughts and try again. _Loki? If you're there, I'm being threated by a giant snake could really appreciate some help right now as it seems to want to talk to you._ There. That wasn't too rambling I hope. I look up and meet the snake's angry gaze. "I did it." I say, trying to force some confidence into my voice. I surely don't feel confident now. But I have to try to get to Dessa.

The snake sneers at me. "I don't believe you." Its tongue flicks in and out of its mouth, once, then twice, drawing my eyes to it. I force my eyes away and instead look back into the snake's gaze. "Midgardians are born liars, I don't see why you're any different."

"Because she is _my_ Midgardian, you fool." A voice says behind me. The snake immediately looks past me, and recognition flashes in its eyes.

I try to whirl around. I recognize that voice, the one that's always holding a trace of amusement. The one that makes my heart stutter whenever I hear it. Loki. However, the coil surrounding me does not loosen. I squirm against it. "Will you let me go!?" The snake ignores me, instead focusing on Loki, who I still cannot see yet his voice is still there, sending shivers down my spine. What did he mean exactly, calling me _his_ Midgardian? And why do I recognize the subtle patterns of his voice? That's kind of creepy, if you ask me.

"Don't let her turn around." I hear him say, probably to the snake, and then I'm confused. Why can't I turn around? What about Dessa!? As if answering my thoughts, or more likely he actually is, Loki replies, "It wouldn't be wise for her to see this."

See what? Now I'm really confused. I hear a strange zapping noise, then coughing. "Dessa!" I exclaim, trying to turn around again. I don't care what he says; that is my best friend, and that coughing sounds like her. There is more coughing in response.

"Don't worry..." I hear Loki murmur. "You swallowed quite a bit of water, you just need to get it all out."

"Dessa!" I Describe another pillow and hit the snake with it. I'm getting good with these pillows. The snake doesn't budge, it doesn't do anything except glare at me.

"Will you please stop that?" It asks, clearly annoyed.

"No." I respond, hitting it with the pillow again. And again, down with each word. "I. Will. Not. Stop. Until. I. See. My. Friend!" To my surprise, on the last word I am turned around, still holding the pillow in midair.

What I see fills me with happiness. Dessa is no longer lying on the ground and her skin is a flushed healthy color. She is sitting upright, thanking Loki repeatedly, who is crouched next to her. As soon as the snake releases me I drop the pillow and sprint towards her, landing painfully on my knees beside her.

I hug her tightly. "Dessa!" I am crying now, and I know why. It is not out of happiness or sadness, but out of regret. This is what I had forgotten. This is what I was feeling guilty about. If Dessa was dead right now, it'd be all my fault. It almost happened. And Loki... he saved her. I let go of Dessa and look over at him. He looks as exhausted as ever, but he is smiling. I smile back at him, my recent tears still in my eyes. "Thank you."

His gaze meets mine, and I am not surprised to see a small trace of anger there. My smile fades, and I try to look solemn. I have a lot of explaining to do.

He nods at me, acknowledging my thought. "As do I." He says. "But first.." He leans towards me, a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "It is my turn to pass out." Then he promptly falls backwards onto the ground, and passes out.

"Loki!" I exclaim, scrambling around Dessa to get to him. His eyes are closed, and he even managed to fold his hands together before he passed out, leaving him to look almost peaceful.

"Oh don't worry about that he'll be fine." A familiar voice hisses behind me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Dessa look over and jump in fright. I turn around, gritting my teeth. "Don't worry Dessa." I say. "You need to rest." I eye the snake warily, who has now risen up to its full height, nearly 30 feet high. "I got this."

The snake laughs, a dry, raspy cough. "You're very funny, Midgardian. You would not believe how many idiots such as yourself have had that exact phrase as their last words."

I narrow my eyes up at it. "And how would you know that?"

It laughs again, then brings its head down suddenly, making its eyes level with my own. It grins sardonically, in the only way that snakes can. "Why I killed them, of course. What else do you expect?"

I'm taken aback, but I manage not to show it. I shake my head. "I never excepted this." I mutter, thinking back to everything that's happened: finding out I had magic, accidentally removing all the pillows from Asgard, somehow teleporting to the Forbidden Art Gallery, and dropping from the sky on a floating rock. It's been crazy.

I focus back on the snake, asking the question that's been on my mind ever since I woke up: "Why aren't we dead?"

The snake narrows its eyes, glaring at me. "Why aren't you dead? Because you're trespassing, that's why." It answers angrily.

"What?" I ask, now confused. Trespassing?

"Trespassing." The snake repeats, spitting the word out. "This is the one place on Asgard where I can abide, where I can have some privacy. And you are trespassing."

I narrow my eyes at it, feeling defiant all of a sudden. If we are trespassing, then so be it. It's the only way we're alive right now. "And what are you going to do about it?"

It hisses angrily. "Nothing. I cannot." It glances over at Loki's prone form. "Not without angering my father."

"Your father?" I repeat, taken aback. I look to Dessa for support, but she is focused entirely on the snake, fear in her eyes. Wait.. Loki has six kids, four of which are beasts: Fenrir, Hela, Sleipnir, and... the Midgardian Serpent. But Loki had said that he was on Midgard... could this be him?

I look up at the snake, now noticing the green in his eyes is the exact same color as Loki's. "Are you the Midgardian Serpent?" I ask.

He looks down at me with skepticism in his eyes, then he smirks. "Took you long enough."


	22. What to do Now?

Well then. Apparently the Midgardian Serpent doesn't always stay on Midgard then. As soon as he realizes I know who he is, he starts ranting about how Dessa and I are trespassing in the one place he has to go in Asgard, his own private sanctuary, the place no one can get to unless they can either teleport or have a death wish... (which Dessa and I evidently have since we're here... especially since I can't get a word in about how I can actually teleport now), yada yada yada. I tuned it out after the first hour, instead focusing on Loki. He still hasn't woken up.

Since he's a god and all, I figured that trying to wake him up conventionally, like say, hitting him in the face with a pillow you just Described, wouldn't work. It also helps that Dessa explained that to me as well, after said transaction. She said that many Asgardians go into this type of "sleep" after they use too much of their energy doing things like magic and such. It would seem this happens a lot after major celebrations, due to the excessive amount of people getting drunk and using too much of their magic.

But this is different. I think I know what he did now. What I saw before passing out - a chasm opening up - that wasn't something I imagined. That was Loki. He opened up a chasm leading to this cavern. That's why it's so damp. We're under the ocean. I don't know for how long I was out. It could have been a few seconds... but from the way Loki looked before he passed out, I know it was much longer. And that entire time, he didn't know I was okay. Not until I contacted him. This is my fault.

"It's not your fault." Dessa says, as if she's hearing my thoughts. She sits down next to where I'm kneeling next to Loki.

I meet her gaze, feeling drained from my realization. "Yes it is. I should have contacted him sooner."

She shakes her head. "No." Her gaze is hard and stubborn. "There's nothing you could have done. It's not like you could have woken up sooner than you did."

I could have, if I had known what was going on sooner. My heart squeezes painfully, but I force myself to not look away in shame. This is my biggest secret. No one can know. Not ever.

I sigh and look down at Loki's peaceful face. "Do you think he'll ever wake back up?"

Dessa grabs my hand, forcing me to look back at her. She smiles slightly. "Trust me, he'll be fine. It's only been a little while."

"Three days, Dessa!" I exclaim quietly, feeling uneasy. The Serpent has finally stopped ranting and he's now cocking his head towards us, listening to our conversation. "That's not a little while!"

"Only in Midgardian terms, Cameron." Dessa replies. "Remember that he's much older than he looks."

I scowl at her. "I know." I take my hand back, twisting it from her grasp. I look back down at Loki. He still looks so peaceful. Carefully, I Describe another pillow and tuck it behind his head, propping him up. His eyelashes flutter, but otherwise there is no movement.

"You're a very strange Midgardian; you know that, right?" The Midgardian Serpent says, now directly behind us after lowering down from his full height.

I turn around and face him. Dessa does the same. "And why is that?" I ask, challenging him. I cross my arms. "It couldn't possibly be because I have magic, is it?"

He glares at me. "Don't mock me, Midgardian. I do not take kindly to it."

"Well maybe I don't take kindly to being called 'Midgardian' all the time." I respond angrily. "But I don't go on hour long rants about it while my father-" I point down at Loki. "-is unconscious." I meet his glare with one of my own.

He hisses angrily. "I only meant that you are not as incompetent as other Midgardians, but this does not seem to be the case."

Unwittingly, I Describe a pillow into my hand, preparing to chuck it at this slithery blockhead's face. This is stupid. He should be caring about his father, not insulting me!

Unfortunately, Dessa steps in just in time, grabbing the pillow from me and stepping between the Midgardian Serpent and I. "ENOUGH!" She shouts. She looks between the two of us, scowling. "I can't believe you are fighting right now. We need to get Prince Loki to the healing room. He needs to regain his strength, one way or another."

The Midgardian Serpent and I exchange a nasty look, then I focus on Dessa. "Didn't you just say he will be fine?" I ask her.

"I did." She confirms. Then she frowns."However.. you're right. It has been a long time. He's not like this very often, and when he is, he usually wakes up by now."

"He used a lot more magic than usual." The Midgardian Serpent interrupts. "It's normal for him to be out like this."

"Yeah I'm sure you've seen that before, since you're on Midgard all the time." I comment sarcastically.

Dessa narrows her eyes. "Will you both please stop bickering for one second?" Both the Midgardian Serpent and I stop our glaring and look at her. She sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Then she looks up, looking between both of us. "No matter how you feel about one another, we have to work together to bring Prince Loki to the healing room."

She looks at me. "Do not try to teleport. It's not a good idea around someone whose magic is drained."

I look at her curiously. "Why? What will happen?"

She frowns, looking over at Loki. "He would drain all of your magic, and since you are Midgardian, it would kill you."

"Oh." I say softly, a little in shock. That would be bad. Very bad. I look over at Loki. He would be so upset. He'd probably want to kill me himself. I look back at Dessa. "Alright then, I won't even try it."

Dessa turns to the Midgardian Serpent. "Then that means the only way out of here is you."

"Me?" He sneers. "Why would I help you?"

Another pillow gets Described into my hand, preparing to be thrown, but Dessa is already on it. She gives him a nasty look. "It's for your father."

He sighs dramatically. "You are correct. But I couldn't help you even if I wanted to."

"And why is that?" I ask, crossing my arms. I shake the pillow threateningly. It's not because of lack of motivation, is it?"

He glares at me, but with one look from Dessa, he stops and explains. "How do you think I get here, to an _underwater_ cavern in a _different_ realm?" He lays emphasis on those two words.

"Don't tell me you swim between realms?" I ask skeptically.

He nods vigorously. "Exactly."

"What?!" Dessa exclaims. "You swim here?"

"I live in Midgard's oceans, sweetheart, I'm pretty sure I can swim." He replies.

Dessa frowns. "Well then I'm not quite sure what we can do."

"I can Describe enough pillows to fill up the ocean." I joke.

Dessa looks me in the eye, dead serious. "We may need to do just that."


	23. Doing Something

After Dessa's statement, I am speechless. That's the only thing she can think of? I feel my resolve harden. There has to be another way. There always is. I turn to the Midgardian Serpent. "What if you were to carry us up to the surface?"

He laughs, making a weird hissing rasp. "You really think I can carry you? I'm a snake. I don't have arms or legs. If so, you must be a bigger idiot than I thought."

I choose to ignore his barb. "If you'd let me finish, you'd hear the rest." I tell him. "What if you were to carry us in your mouth?"

He stares at me for a minute or two, dumbstruck for words. Then he finally speaks. "You're serious, aren't you?"

I throw my hands up in the air, exasperated. "Of course I'm serious! What else can we do?" I look over at Dessa, who is listening intently to our conversation. "I really don't think Describing a bunch of pillows is going to work."

She nods, accepting it. "But do you really think this will work?" That's a good question. I turn to the Midgardian Serpent, the question written on my face.

He sighs, shaking his head. "I don't know how you think of it Midgardian... but yes, I could do that." He makes a face of disgust. "However, you're all going to taste horrible."

I roll my eyes. "Just try not to swallow us, okay?"

He smirks. "No promises." He sinks down in the pool of water until his head is level with the floor of the cavern. He grimaces, then opens his mouth.

I wince at seeing the rows of sharp fangs. He better not skewer us. Together, Dessa and I manage to carry Loki into the serpent's mouth. I Describe a ton of pillows to set Loki on. And although we're stepping on his tongue, the Midgardian Serpent remains completely still. Dessa and I both get situated on more pillows. I smile to myself. I'm a pro at these pillows.

Grossed out by what I'm about to do, I cautiously put my hand on his tongue. It's really slimy, and weirdly enough, I can feel his heartbeat through it. "Alright we're ready!" I call out. His tongue squirms underneath us, and I let go. I grab Dessa's hand with one hand and Loki's arm with the other. It seems odd. Here I am, transporting Loki somewhere and I'm holding onto his arm. Usually it's the other way around.

Slowly, the Midgardian Serpent closes his mouth, the sharp fangs creating a barrier between us and the outside world. Now I can't see anything. Then, with a jolt of his head, we are thrown upwards, becoming airborne for a few seconds, then landing awkwardly on his squishy tongue. I try my best to keep my grip on Dessa's hand and Loki's arm.

"What is he doing!?" Dessa exclaims.

"He has to rear up before he dives!" I yell back, thinking to all the movies I've seen of giant water monsters. Usually they dive into the water headfirst, don't they?

"Dives!?" Dessa squeaks out, sounding terrified.

Then, with a mighty roar, the Midgardian Serpent dives down into the water, throwing us all up against the roof of his mouth.

I don't know how long the dive is, but it feels like forever. My stomach is pushed up into my chest, my hands have turned white from gripping so tightly, and Dessa's scream is an unending echo, ringing in my ears.

Eventually, we hit the water, and water shoots through some of his fangs, soaking us. I cough out some that had gotten into my mouth. Yuck. That tasted disgusting. I shake my head, getting some of my soaked hair off my face.

The serpent shoots through the water, leaving us in the murky darkness of his mouth. Luckily, the trip takes a while so Dessa has time to stop hyperventilating.

"We... we must have gone through the entire ocean." Dessa finally manages, after releasing a giant breath. Her voice is shaky, and strained from screaming for so long.

I smile wryly. What a feat that must have been to open it up then. I squeeze Loki's arm tightly for a second, then release him. I peel the rest of my plastered hair off of my face. Unknowingly, I Describe a hair tie and tie my hair back. It's only when I'm done do I realize what happened. "Dessa!" I grin, feeling giddy. "I did it!"

"Did what?" She asks curiously.

"I Described something new besides pillows!" I am so happy right now. I don't even care that we're sitting in the mouth of a giant serpent. If I can do this, then it's really possible. I could Describe anything. And even better, I bet I can learn to control it.

I'm too caught up with thinking about the possibilities, that I don't even realize what is happening before it happens. All of a sudden, the serpent starts streaking upwards, throwing us to the back of his mouth. The pillows bombard us. I attempt to grab hold of Loki again, but a pillow hits my hand just as I think I'm close, knocking my hand away.

This all happens in the blink of an eye, because in the next second, light is blinding me as the Midgardian Serpent opens his mouth. I close my eyes against the light. The light hurts; I feel like a vampire emerging from a crypt.

"Ohhh..." I hear Dessa moan.

I open my eyes and squint over at her. "You okay?" I ask. She looks a little green.

She quickly shakes her head no and haphazardly moves to the edge of the mouth, tripping in her rush. Then she vomits over the edge.

I wince and have to look away. Gross. I look down at Loki. He still looks so peaceful. A little wet, maybe, but peaceful nonetheless. That's when I realize it. We did it. I look up and out at the landscape. The sky is there, and the ocean is far below us. I grin. We did it! I knew there had to be another way!

Suddenly, the surface beneath me shifts downward, and once again I find myself falling towards the water. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" I shout, more angry than scared. Pillows follow my descent, flying beside me.

The serpent coughs, and more pillows come flying out of his mouth. Honestly, I'm amazed. I didn't realize how many pillows I had Described. "Oh relax, would you?" He says. "There's another rock."

Another... rock? I look down. Sure enough, there's another floating rock covered in pillows, coming up a bit too quick for comfort. I quickly Describe more pillows onto it. Then I hit it. Oof. The pillows definitely cushioned the fall, but that was certainly not enough. Wincing, I push myself up and get to my feet, albeit a bit unsteadily on the pillows. I look around, and my heart clenches. Where did Dessa and Loki go?!

The Midgardian Serpent lowers his head down to my level, smirking. I turn and glare at him. If he just suddenly dropped them in the ocean... He opens his mouth, disrupting my trail of thought. Wrapped in his tongue were both Dessa and Loki. I breathe out a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god." Dessa looks petrified as usual, clinging tightly to the serpent's tongue and Loki looks undisturbed. The serpent unwraps them and I go in and help Dessa grab Loki.

"Man, I forgot how heavy he was." I joke, trying to get color back into Dessa's cheeks. They seem to have gone permanently pale. Luckily, it works and she laughs, making her look no longer like she's about to throw up.

"Well at least he knows how to hold on when the mouth we're in gets tipped forward." She responds, smiling.

"Hey I had no idea that was even happening!" I insist, feigning offense. "If you knew you could have let me know!"

The Midgardian Serpent, apparently sick of our banter, heaves a great sigh, clogging our senses with his terrible breath. It smells like rotten eggs, fish, and something tangy that I'm not sure I want to know the reason behind.

"Bleh!" Dessa exclaims, covering her nose with her other arm. "Let's get out of here!"

"I agree!" Together we drag Loki out onto the rock and dump him unceremoniously onto the pillows piled there.

Almost immediately, the Midgardian Serpent snaps his mouth shut and backs away from the rock. He shakes his head, his tongue lolling out. "That..." Suddenly, he dives down, takes a gulp of the seawater, then comes straight back up. "Was the most..." He continues, then dives down again, doing the same thing he did before. "Disgusting thing..." He does it again. "I have ever done in my entire life!" He finishes. He glowers down at me. "That was a terrible idea."

I roll my eyes. "It worked, didn't it?" I look out at Asgard, which is only a little while away. "We're almost there."

He follows my gaze, then laughs cruelly. "Yeah no way. I am not taking you any further."

I turn back to him, my gaze steely. "Excuse me?"

He meets my gaze, equally as stubborn. "I said I'm not taking you any further." He repeats, his voice full of contempt. "I just got the taste of you out of my mouth."

"I thought you liked the taste of Midgardians?" Dessa pipes up, sounding curious.

He makes a face. "It's an acquired taste." Then he grins. "But I do enjoy killing them. They're such idiots."

I clear my throat. "Hello, Midgardian down here." I wave up at him.

He gives me a skeptical look. "Some more than others, that's for sure."

"Hey!" I call out, insulted.

Dessa rolls her eyes. "Alright that's enough. I get it you two hate each other."

The Midgardian Serpent and I meet each others' gaze, considering. Did we hate each other? "Well... it's more like a mutual disliking." I say.

"Yes hate is a very strong word, you know." The Midgardian Serpent chimes in, nodding. "You shouldn't be so harsh."

Dessa sighs in exasperation, looking down. I take this chance and giving a knowing smirk to the Midgardian Serpent. It seems we have begun to understand each other.

Dessa looks up. "Well then, if you're not going to take us there, how will we get there?"

I look around, surveying what we have. Pillows. A stubborn snake. A knocked-out Loki. And there, in the distance, a glint of gold off of the bifrost. I smile knowingly. Heimdall can see most everything.

"I have an idea."


	24. Emergency Call

"Heimdall!" I call out. I look down at Loki. "We need your help right now! Lo.." I catch myself just in time. I'm still supposed to be his servant. " _Prince_ Loki needs medical attention!"

Almost immediately, there is a snapping sound, and a palace guard appears on our rock. I look over at him, surprised. "Oh wow, that was fast!" I exclaim, then Dessa giggles, and I look back at her. "What's so funny?" I ask.

"That's not a real guard! He's an illusion in case there's an threat, to scare away any potential enemies." She explains. "It means Heimdall is busy with a more immediate problem. One of the court spell casters sent this out." She giggles again. "You thought it was the real thing!"

"An illusion?" I look back over at the guard. Now that Dessa has pointed that out, he does seem a bit still. I walk over to him, carefully stepping over pillows. "Hello?" I wave a hand in front of his face. I wonder if he'll do anything.

To my surprise, he looks over and meets my gaze. "Hello citizen. What is your emergency?"

I quickly take a step back away from him. I bite my cheek to suppress a grin. This is just like the emergency dial system on Midgard. With just more magic involved. "Yes, Prince Loki is..." I look over at him and Dessa. How would you describe his condition? Magically drained? Exhausted? Probably furious with me? All of the above? "Currently passed out and needing to get to the Healing Room, as soon as possible."

"Prince Loki?" The guard repeats, looking concerned. Wow, this illusion was really good. "Your situation is being reported to the King."

My eyes widen. That is NOT a good idea. Odin can't know what I can do. "No, no wait... is the Queen available? Tell her instead, please." I say quickly, scrambling for an explanation. "That way the King won't be bothered by what had happened."

"Another prank, was it?" The guard says skeptically. "No matter. Your situation is being reported to the Queen."

The guard disappears, and I sag in relief. That was close. Too close.

"Does the King not know what you can do?" Dessa asks, sounding concerned.

I turn back to her. She looks worried. I walk over to her and kneel down beside her. "I didn't know myself until a little while ago." I tell her honestly. I smile wryly. "The Queen helped me figure it out." I meet her gaze. "You remember when we had to make all those pillows?"

Dessa groans. "Don't tell me that was your fault!"

My smile turns sheepish. "It might have been..."

Dessa shakes her head, but she's smiling. "I can't believe you! What did you do?"

I stop smiling, trying to look serious. I think back to everything she has witnessed.. and I realize something. I've been Describing pillows left and right, and she hasn't even batted an eye. "Dessa?" I start cautiously. "Do you believe that all Midgardians can perform magic?"

Dessa blinks. "Why of course not, but I'm sure many of them do, just like here."

I shake my head. "Actually, no. Most Midgardians can't; there are very few that have special abilities. Me... That's why this is so strange to me."

"The King isn't going to like this." Dessa says. "He likes to keep track of everyone who can do magic, and if you're only one of very few Midgardians who can do it, that is very bad news."

"Do you think Loki will be alright?" I ask, looking over at him. My heart squeezes painfully. I don't want him to get into trouble because of me.

At that, Dessa laughs, her concerned expression evaporating "You really think with all that he's done he'd get in trouble for something that's not even his fault?"

"Well..." I hope not. I really hope not.

"I'm sure even if he does, he will find a way to get out of it." A different voice says, one that both Dessa and I recognize: Frigga.

We both turn towards the source. "My queen!" I quickly get up and bow. Dessa gets up and curtsies. I glance over at her. She has got to teach me how to do that. I look back over at the queen.

She smiles knowingly. "Hello, Cameron, Dessa."

We both smile back. "Hello." I greet. I quickly look over at Loki, thinking of how to explain what happened. "Loki needs to get to the Healing Room immediately, his magic is completely drained."

Now she looks concerned. "What happened?"

"He.. um.." I stammer. "Kind of opened up the entire ocean." I wince. That already sounds pretty bad. "For an extended period of time."

"And teleported afterwards." Dessa chimes in.

"And did something to bring Dessa back from almost dying." I quickly add in. And do who knows what to talk to me in Midgard. But that can't be mentioned for obvious reasons.

Frigga sighs, rubbing her temples. "I'm not even sure I want to know."

Dessa and I exchange a glance. "Yeah I'm not sure you would believe us anyways, after all that has happened." I say.

Dessa laughs nervously. "Yeah there has been a lot."

"Either way, I believe you should have the Healers look at you as well." Frigga says, looking sternly at Dessa.

Dessa nods. "Yes Ma'am."

"Now." Frigga walks over to us, carefully picking her way through the pillows. She kneels next to Loki, carefully placing one of her hands on his forehead. She closes her eyes, assessing something.

Dessa and I kneel next to her. "Cameron, I just thought of something." Dessa whispers to me.

"What is it?" I whisper back, leaning closer to her.

"We may not need to go to the Healing Room. The queen is one of the best healers there is."

"Oh really?" I look back over at Frigga, who seems very focused. "That's amazing."

Frigga finally opens her eyes and looks over at both of us. Her expression is still impassive, but I can see the concern shining behind her eyes. "He is very sick. We need to get him to the Healing Room as soon as possible." She reaches out and takes my hand. "Join hands." She tells us. "We are going to group teleport."

Group teleport? What's that? I look over at Dessa to ask, but her eyes have gone wide. She quickly grabs my hand. "Stay away from your prince." She says softly, as a warning.

My heartbeat quickens. What is going on? Dessa must see my anxiety, because she smiles softly. "Don't worry; everything will be alright." That doesn't help at all. I find myself gripping Frigga and Dessa's hands tighter and tighter.  
I close my eyes. Let's just let whatever needs to happen, happen.

Just as I close my eyes, I feel a strange draining sensation, and the world starts to tilt sideways. My eyes fly open on instinct. Not now. I can't be passing out now... but even as the world is tipping sideways, and everything is starting to spin, I am not passing out. What in the world is going on? I close my eyes again. I feel like all my energy is being drained out of me, and I have to concentrate on keeping hold of Dessa and Frigga's hands. It's so tiring...

Then, suddenly, as soon as it begun, the draining sensation stops. As well as the world tilting and spinning. We're on solid ground. I hear the murmur of concerned voices. I'm still so tired.. I could fall asleep right now. I manage to pry open my eyes just as one of the Healers stumbles upon us.

"Oh!" She gasps, covering her mouth.

I quickly look around to assess the situation. My mouth goes dry. I'm the only one not completely out. Loki is here, looking the same as before, but Dessa and Frigga are both knocked out.

"Group teleporting." I explain to her, my voice raspy. "Prince Loki needs immediate attention."

She nods, her eyes wide, then hurries away. Pretty soon, four other Healers rush over to us, quickly getting to work. Two of them pick up Loki with ease, and move him away. I want to go with them, but my legs seem to be asleep. I try not to show my panic as the other two untangle Frigga's hand and mine and move her away. The other Healer, the one who first discovered us, kneels down next to Dessa and I, looking sympathetic. "We don't have enough resources to revive her currently. Especially not with the queen and the prince both unavailable."

I shake my head, not understanding. "What do you have to do to revive them?" I ask, meeting her gaze.

She frowns. "A ritual that causes energy to be regained in their bodies. But it requires a Master of magic to call upon their magic." She sighs, closing her eyes. "The possibility of both the queen and the prince being unable to do this.. it was very slim."

"There aren't any other Masters of magic?" I ask, now concerned. If there aren't any more, how are Loki and Frigga going to wake up?

The Healer opens her eyes. "There are two others. One is currently working on reviving the prince, and it is taking a large amount of magic. The other is the King, and he is on his way."

I nod. That makes sense. To revive Frigga. "So you don't have anyone to revive Dessa." I state.

She nods. "Yes. Nor for you."

I look down at myself then back up at her. "Me? I'm fine." I lie.

She gives me a look showing that she doesn't believe any of that. "Can you move your legs?"

"I..." I start. I attempt to move. Still asleep. Crap. "I can't." I admit. I look down at my legs. Why are they asleep?

"Hmm.." She hums. "You are most fortunate to not be completely drained as well." She stands up, brushing off her dress. "The group teleportation must have taken a lesser toll on you." She turns to leave.

"Wait!" I call out. "What happens during group teleportation?"

She turns back. "Energy is drained from all those who are linked and it allows you to teleport another who is already drained so they do not steal your energy from you."

"I thought that was magic they would steal?" I ask, puzzled.

She smiles slightly. "Magic always depends on how much energy you have, that is why the two terms can often be used interchangeably for spell casters." She turns to leave again.

"What happens now?" I call out again.

"We get you two to a comfortable place. It's going to be a long while before either the prince or the queen are revived." She replies over her shoulder. Then she strides out of view.

I slump down. I am pretty tired still. But why didn't I pass out? Was it because I'm Midgardian? More questions to be answered, I suppose.

Two more Healers come over and pick Dessa and I up. We're both so little, it only takes one person each. As we're being moved to some tables in the Healing Room, the world starts to darken around me, tilting haphazardly. Whether I'm falling asleep or passing out, I no longer care. Sleep just sounds good. I close my eyes and let myself fall into oblivion...

I pass out.


	25. The Day Before

I open my eyes to find myself lying on the floor of my room in Midgard. "Oww." I groan. My body aches all over. I sit up. I must have fallen to the ground after casting myself to Asgard. I was in such a rush, I don't remember even being aware of anything going on here.

I check my watch. 6:00! My mouth hangs open in shock. It's been three hours! I quickly shake my head and get up, all of my muscles protesting, probably from both the fall and what happened in Asgard. After running a brush through my hair to make it look semi-decent, I make my way out to the kitchen, where both my parents are waiting at the table.

I smile at them. "Hello."

My mom shakes her head. "Glad you decided to finally join us."

I scan the assortment of food on the table, my mouth nearly watering at the sight. I'm suddenly starving. I notice both of my parents have food piled on their plates, but none of it has been touched. Pieces of what happened start to come to me. They probably called me for dinner, and I was so immersed in Asgard that I didn't hear them. I wonder how long it's been. Not long enough for them to check on me, that's for certain. I sit down, trying to hide how strained my muscles feel. I quickly load up my plate. "I'm sorry I was really focused on something." I tell them.

They both start eating, so I do too. "I hope you got all your homework done." My dad casually comments.

I look up at meet his gaze, blood draining from my face. Homework. Right. That was a thing. Did I do it? I don't remember. Forcing the panic out of my voice, I ask what he's waiting for me to say: "Why do you say that?"

He smiles. "Because that movie you wanted to see is in town."

I grin, faking excitement as my mind races. Movie? What movie? "That's awesome!" I say. What is wrong with my memory? I still can't think of the movie. As much as I hate to turn out watching an awesome movie with my dad, I think something is seriously wrong.

I sigh, letting my grin slip. Because I really do have homework. A lot of it, in fact. That I had planned on doing before dinner. Whoops. "I'm sorry, Dad, I can't." I tell him. "I still have a lot to do."

He loses his smile, looking confused instead. "You have that much homework?"

My mom rolls her eyes. "I know what happened."

My dad and I both quickly look at her. My pulse starts thrumming in my ears, but I force my panic down. Even if she did check on me, all she would have seen was me asleep on the floor. Which is pretty alarming in itself, unless you're me and have done it ever since you were little.

She smiles. "You were reading, and got so engrossed in the book you ignored your homework."

I close my eyes. Of course she'd think that's what happened. I've done that before, plenty of times. She's fine with it, as long as I am able to finish my homework on time and get enough sleep... but with my dad it's a bit of a different story. I open my eyes and look over at him.

He sighs, meeting my gaze, disappointment in his eyes. "Is this what happened?"

I bite my lip. It's better than telling him the truth. I quickly nod.

He shakes his head. "When we're done eating, bring your book out here."

"I will." I tell him, relief coursing through my veins. Not too many questions, and enough time to do my homework. It's almost too perfect.

As soon as we're done eating, I place my dishes in the dishwasher and practically race to my bedroom, grabbing a random book and marking a random spot in it. I run back to the living room, where my dad is sitting, quite ironically, reading a book. "Here you go." I hand it to him.

He sets it down next to him. "Alright, go do your homework."

I nod and race back to my bedroom. I have so much Chemistry to do.

* * *

11:59 pm, later that night.

I groan, slumped over my homework. It's finally done, and I am exhausted. I shove my homework in my bag and flop onto my bed. Within minutes, I have fallen fast asleep.

I don't travel to Asgard, I am so tired. Instead, I am woken up by my alarm. I roll over and turn it off.

I lie in bed for a few minutes, debating if it's really worth it to eat breakfast or not. If I don't, I could get more sleep. If I do, I won't be starving halfway to lunch. I sigh and get up. As tired as I am, I know that not eating is the worse option. It will only make me more tired.

I make my way into the kitchen and grab a bowl of cereal. I sit at the table, eating silently. I'm not fully awake yet. A few minutes later, my dad ambles into the kitchen. He sees my tired expression, quickly connecting the dots.

"It's a good thing we didn't go to the movie."

I slowly shaking my head. "Yeah it's good."

"Was the book worth it?" He asks, sounding curious.

I yawn, trying to remember what the book I gave him was. I have no clue. Hopefully it's a good one. "It's almost always worth it." I respond, smiling shyly. "Unless there's a test the next day."

He smiles too. "I'll have to read it when you're done then."

"Go for it." I go back to eating my cereal. My dad gets some cereal himself and starts eating.

When we're both done, we both head out to the car, after I double check that I have my homework. I've done that before, worked really hard on it and then left it at home. I won't let it happen again.

My dad decides to drive, seeing as how tired I am. Grateful, I get in the passenger side, already deciding to try to cast my mind to Asgard. As soon as we pull out of the driveway, I cast my mind out to Asgard.

* * *

I wake up lying on one of the padded tables in the Healing Room, covered in a light sheet. One of the Healers must have put it there. I quickly sit up, unthinkingly moving my legs so that I'm sitting down crisscross applesauce. Then I remember: my legs had been asleep!

I stare at them in amazement. How did I regain that energy? Was it because I went back to Midgard? I shake my head. I've had enough questions; it's time I started answering some. I bet that was it. I smile, feeling foolish. I'll just ask Loki when he wakes up. My mind threatens, whispers _if_.. but I ignore it.

I look around. Dessa is on the table next to me, still knocked out cold. We're in bit of a back corner of the Healing Room, the real activity seems to be towards the middle, where a bunch of Healers are gathered around a table. My interest piques at that. Could that be Loki or Frigga? I get off the table, quickly check on Dessa - she's completely out, but her breathing seems normal - and walk as fast as a can without running over to the table where all the Healers are gathered.

I make it halfway through the crowd before someone grabs my arm, stopping me. I sigh and turn towards the person, expecting it to be some random healer. Once I see who it is, my eyes widen. It's Odin. He looks haggard and weary, his age showing through. He also looks pissed.

I quickly snap out of my shocked state, bowing as best as I can. "My king" My voice is still a rasp. So I'm not completely recovered after all. His eye doesn't waver, pinning me with a hard stare. It's really unnerving actually, it's like he can see right through me. What I can do, where I'm from, all of it. I gulp nervously. "Is there something you need?" I manage to ask.

He doesn't answer, instead yanking on my arm and pulling me the rest of the way through the crowd. I fight to keep from wincing - his grip is strong! The crowd parts easily for us as they make way for their king. The table appears, and on it, lies Frigga. The king releases me, quickly walking over to her side. I follow silently, my mind spinning. Why isn't Frigga awake yet? The king clearly has been trying to revive her, with him being so tired and all.

She still seems the same as I last saw her. Hesitantly, after glancing quickly over at Odin, I place my hand on her forehead. A little warm, but basically normal temperature. I check her pulse: also normal. I take my hand back, puzzled. "Why is she still like this?"

Odin turns to me, that dark rage still towering over him. "Why don't you tell me?"

I stare at him in shock. Does he think I have something to do with her condition? I look over at her, a sinking feeling in my stomach. I really hope not.

I shake my head. "I don't know; I don't really know what happened."

"Tell me what you do know." He didn't ask, he commanded; his voice still laced with rage.

I bite my lip. "It was all super fast." I begin. "Frigga came to grab Dessa, Loki, and I because Loki was completely drained of magic... and then we were all holding hands and doing this thing called group teleporting..." I stop, realizing that Odin looks even more angry.

"So this is all Loki's fault." His tone has changed. Instead of pure cold rage, it's now bitter and calm. Somehow, it's even scarier.

"No!" I object automatically, then quickly cover my mouth, my eyes wide. I glance around. All the Healers are now watching us curiously. I can't tell him what really went on. If he finds out I can Describe... I shudder to think of what could happen.

Odin narrows his eyes, studying me carefully. "It's not, is it? Then whose is it?"

I slowly lower my hands. Then I take a deep breath, steadying myself. "It's mine. Loki drained his magic protecting me, because I did something stupid."

"What did you do?"

I sigh, closing my eyes. I don't want to see his reaction. "I teleported."

Two seconds later, I'm in freefall. I barely heard the thud of Gungnir before a trap door opened up below me.

 _"You're going to the dungeons."_ Odin says in my mind, before I am forced to pass out.


	26. Trapped in the Dungeon

I wake up lying on a clean white floor. I sit up, my head spinning a little. Odin actually forced me to pass out! That was a bit rude! I grumble to myself about stupid mind tricks and get up, looking around. I'm in what I'm guessing is a normal sized cell, with absolutely no furniture in sight. In contrast to what you'd normally think of a dungeon, it's not dank, smelly, or even dark. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Besides being completely empty, it's painted white, spotless, and it has a strange glowing wall, sending yellow light streaming into the room. There's no exits to be seen, except I can see the outside of the cell through the yellow wall.

I sigh. This is great. I'm not even really sure why I'm here, the king just kind of threw me down here as soon as I said I teleported. I get that he's angry, and it's completely unprecedented that a Midgardian has powers of any sort, and that it might actually be my fault that Frigga isn't awake yet... crap. I get it now.

I walk slowly towards the glowing wall. I'm not sure what it is, but magic has to be involved somehow. When I'm about a foot away, I stop. I can see clearly through the wall now, almost like it's clear glass. However, I can feel the power thrumming off it, seeming almost like electricity. Knowing I really shouldn't, I reach my hand out and touch it.

Immediately, a blast of searing pain shoots through my body, and I stagger backwards, cradling my hand. "Oww!" That hurt more than expected.

"That wasn't very bright of you." A familiar voice says.

My head jerks up at the voice. Loki? My heart stuttering with hope, I spin in a circle, but I don't see him. "Are you in my head?" I ask aloud.

There's a brief chuckle in response. "Not exactly." He intones, from wherever he's speaking from. "We still have a mind link, after all."

I roll my eyes, heading back to the other end of the cell, as far away from that wall as I could get. "Yeah and I know just as much about it since the first time you mentioned it. What is going on?" I sit down on the floor.

"You remember how I said that part of your mind is here in Asgard?" He asks.

"Yeah..." I hesitantly respond, after quickly looking to see if anyone is standing around my cell.

"Only you can hear me, it's like how it is in Midgard." He continues smoothly, answering my unspoken worry. "Well, that part of your mind is in a way... holding hands with part of my mind. The part of my mind that I occasionally send to Midgard."

"Holding hands?" I can't help it, I make a disgusted face. All I can see are two brains with their slimy brain stems tied together.

Actual laughter this time. "Do you really think that's all a mind is?"

"No!" I object, feeling heat rising to my cheeks. "I just.. you were so vague!"

He laughs some more. "How is 'holding hands' vague?"

"It..." I find myself scrambling for words. "It just is! You could have been more specific!"

"Would you rather I say our minds are so close, it is like we are caught in an endless, passionate, kiss?" His voice has a teasing edge to it now.

I blush, completely caught off guard. "Excuse me?" Why am I getting so flustered about this?

This starts another round of laughter. Once he finally stops, he sighs, the sound reverberating around the cell. "It seems there's no point in explaining it now. Especially since you have some explaining to do."

"Me? What do I need to explain?" I narrow my eyes. "Don't you know everything already?"

"Well I could simply look into your mind and find out... but because of the direction our last conversation went, I'm not sure you'd appreciate that right now."

I imagine his part of his mind leaning forward, kissing mine a little harder, searching through my mind like he's reading book all the while the kissing just continues... I shake my head vigorously. "Okay, you're right." I agree. "Where would you like me to start?"

"How about right after I passed out?"

"You don't know that much!?" I am shocked.

"I did just wake up, darling." He responds coolly.

My eyes widen. "Wait a second you're awake!?" I exclaim.

"Partially. Enough to talk to you, and that's about it. I believe when you touched the barrier, it sent a shock of magic through you that went straight to me, since you're already awake."

"Because of our mind link." I murmur. "Okay, that makes sense." I look up at the ceiling. "Before I tell you everything, I need to sum up a very important part."

"Alright." His voice is cautious.

"Frigga came and rescued us and we used group teleportation to get back to the Healing Room and basically she's passed out right now and so is Dessa but Frigga's not waking up; Odin's been trying to revive her." I rush out.

There is a brief silence. And then "Touch the barrier again."

"Excuse me?!" I exclaim. "That really hurt, you know!"

"My mother is not waking up!" He yells. I flinch at the sudden change in tone. He must notice this, because his tone softens. "The only way she can is if I wake up, and to do that I need more energy. The only way I know how to do that is if you transfer it to me."

I sigh, seeing where this is going now. "By running into the barrier." I stand up, readying myself. This is going to hurt. A lot.

"Wait, you're actually going to do it?" He sounds puzzled.

I bow mockingly. "Of course, it's for you _my king_." I lie emphasis on those last two words. "I was going to do it anyways, whether you ordered me to or not." I smile. "It's for the Queen, after all."

"Cameron..." He starts.

I don't let him finish as I sprint over and throw myself into the barrier.

* * *

Eventually, I pass out. I don't know how many times I ran into the barrier. Enough times to have Loki shouting at me to stop, that he was awake and was fine, but not enough to kill me. I hope. I certainly feel like death.

I became aware of my dad pulling into the school drop off circle as soon as I passed out in Asgard. Now I get to go through school feeling terrible. This will be fun.

I look over at my dad. "Thanks for the ride." I scoop up my bag, and start to open the door, but my dad stops me, laying a hand on my shoulder.

A bit reluctantly, I turn back towards him. He looks at me with concern. "Are you okay? You look really pale all of a sudden."

I smile as best as I can, hiding my wince at the words 'all of a sudden'. I was hoping that the effects of draining all my energy in Asgard wouldn't show through to Midgard. It seems I was wrong.

"I'm fine." I lie. "Must be the lighting." I lean over and peck him on the cheek, then get out of the car as quick as I can. I close the door and wave at my dad, taking a step back. He still looks concerned, but he shakes his head and drives away.

I breathe a sigh of relief and head inside. Time to turn in all that Chemistry homework.


	27. It's About Time

After school, I drive home without any problems, except for the fact that I've had a pounding headache since after lunch. You'd think eating lunch would have me gain energy... but no, things don't seem to want to work out that way.

Once we get home, I immediately rush to my room, complaining about my headache. It is useful I suppose when you just want to doze off into another realm somewhere. I take some pain medicine and lie down. After a little while, the pain subsides a bit, allowing me enough room to concentrate and send my mind off to Asgard.

I wake up on the floor of the cell, yellow light shining directly into my eyes from the barrier. I groan and turn away. Unfortunately, the headache followed me here.

"Cameron, are you awake?" I hear a very familiar female voice ask. Immediately, I sit up, scanning my cell wildly. That was the queen.

"My queen?" I ask to the empty room.

She chuckles once, and I can't help but to hear how similar it is to Loki's. "Over here, dear." She responds.

I look over to the sound of the voice and I finally see her, standing outside of my cell! I smile and quickly get up, walking as close to the barrier as I dare. I sit down next to her so we're eye to eye, bowing as I do so. "I'm glad you're finally awake my queen!" I grin, despite still feeling rather death-like. The queen is awake!

She smiles slowly. "Yes, and it's all thanks to you, Cameron. You restored enough energy in Loki so he could wake up and revive me." Her eyes are bright, but I see a hint of warning in them.

My grin falters. "Is everything okay my queen?" Worry starts to clench at my gut. Is something wrong with Loki?

She shakes her head. "Not exactly. I'm just worried, that's all."

"Why is that?" I ask immediately, wanting to nothing else except if Loki is okay.

She laughs, somehow soothing my worries at once. "Loki is fine, he's talking to Odin." She meets my gaze. "What concerns me is you."

I sag in relief when she mentions Loki is fine, but straighten back up as soon as she mentions me. "Why me?" I ask.

She shakes her head again. "I told you mind links were dangerous." She closes her eyes, considering her next words. "Loki told me you know a bit more about how intricately you are connected. That intricacy is the exact reason why they are dangerous. Sometimes with mind links... the joiners begin to share characteristics, or even abilities with one another."

My head is starting to spin from this new information, connecting dots before I even knew the dots existed. "I have been feeling more mischievous lately.. is that because of the mind link?"

Frigga nods gravely. "Yes. The first sign is normally the sharing of a defining characteristic. Loki's mischievousness would definitely make sense."

I'm shaking my head now. "I don't understand; what did he get of mine?"

She chuckles. "Nothing. At least, not yet. You seem to be getting a lot however."

"A lot?" I echo. "What else is there besides the mischievousness?"

She gives me a knowing look. "Teleportation isn't exactly your thing, dear."

"Oh!" Of course, that makes so much more sense now. Even with Describing, I've only been able to Describe two things. I can't even think about how it's possible to Describe a different power onto yourself.

My head snaps up. If I woke up Loki through our mind link, did I wake up Dessa too through the same link that pulled her with me when teleporting? "How is Dessa?" I ask.

Frigga smiles. "She is awake, but resting. As soon as I was able, I revived her."

I blink, my mind once again spinning. Wait... if Loki had enough time to wake Frigga up, and then Frigga had enough time to wake Dessa up... "How long have I been unconscious?" I ask suddenly.

"About five days." A commanding voice echoes from down the hall. Frigga and I both look over, and Odin is walking towards us, Loki in tow.

My heart soars when I see Loki, but I school my features into a more neutral expression when Odin shows up, his one eye still glinting dangerously.

"My king." I stand up and bow to him.

"Thank you and sit down, Cameron." He says sharply. I quickly do as he says. He sighs, looking around at everyone around him, then finally back at me. "Do you know why you're in that cell right now?"

I nod. "It is because it is my fault Frigga got called to come rescue us, which led to her energy being badly drained, so much that she wasn't waking up."

Odin nods, a bit grudgingly. "It seems you have thought about it then."

"Of course!" I interject. "I feel absolutely terrible." I look down, feeling my pushed down guilt and sadness start to rise within me. "I'm so very sorry."

Odin watches me for a few moments silently. "Very well then. I'd say five days in enough time to learn your lesson." Suddenly, as if commanded by his words, the glowing barrier disappears. I look up and around in amazement.

Odin clears his throat, drawing my gaze to him again. "Of course, it helps that what you did helped revive her." He looks over at his wife, his face shining with happiness. "I don't know what I would have done without her."

Frigga smiled. "Oh, you would have managed." She responded. "You would have figured it out after the kingdom had collapsed a third time."

Loki and I exchange knowing smirks. Frigga sure does know how to roast people. Odin doesn't seem to bothered, however, and just sighs, shaking his head. "Just make sure you don't do it again, Cameron. There will be worse consequences."

"Of course, sir." I respond. "I'll do my best not to." His gaze meets mine, unimpressed. "I'll never do it again." I quickly remedy.

"Be sure that you don't." He tells me sternly. Then he turns, offering his arm to his wife. "Shall we go see our kingdom, my wife?"

She gladly takes it. "Of course, my husband. I will do anything with you." They exit the dungeons together.

Loki sighs. "Well I'm glad all that mushy gushy stuff is over now."

Cautiously, I slide out of the cell. Then I fake punch him in the arm. "What do you mean, that was adorable!" I croon.

He makes a disgusted face. "They're ancient, and it's gross. Not to mention I've had to see this my entire life."

I grin, enjoying having just a regular conversation with him again. "You're just jealous."

"Jealous?" Now amused, he turns to me, his dark gaze clashing with mine. "How so?"

I suddenly feel very nervous. "Well maybe you're worried you're never going to have that type of relationship."

He smirks. "Oh really? You don't think..." His gaze travels over my face, resting on my lips before meeting my eyes again. "That type of relationship is possible?"

Ok, now I'm really nervous. The way he's looking at me... it makes my heart pound just a little bit faster. I swallow. "Well I suppose it depends on the situation." I hedge.

He steps closer. "Like what?"

My heart's getting even faster now. "Like if there's even a chance for a stable enough relationship." I manage to stutter out, not able to pull myself away from his gaze. I seem to be falling into his eyes again.

"It seems you're right." He agrees, taking yet another step forward, close enough so that our bodies are almost touching now. "However, there is one thing I would say that defines a stable relationship."

"Oh? And what's that?" I pull myself away from his eyes.

He smiles. "Mutual feelings. " He states simply, before leaning in and kissing me.

Now I've been kissed before, by past boyfriends and such, but nothing was like this. This was like everything between us began to spark, creating a blaze of fire that burned so bright it was hard to look at. We were as our minds were, embraced in a long and passionate embrace.

It only lasted a few seconds, but it felt like eternity when we finally broke apart. I was more in shock, but Loki was grinning from ear to ear. "I've been wanting to do that for a while."

I smirk back at him. "Well you better wait to do it again."

He gives me a confused look.

I smile and point down the hall, where black smoke is beginning to curl towards us. "I think I accidentally Described a fire."

His eyes widen. "I see." He quickly takes my hand. "It seems we better get out of here then."

"I would have to agree." Then we run out of the dungeons, laughing as we go.

A/N: Wowwie wow wow! I totally did not mean for this to happen right now, but it seemed the perfect time to do that. Thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it. :) Have a great day/night! Also sorry for taking FOREVER to update.


	28. The Danger Behind Mind Links

We run back to Loki's room, still holding hands. I'm pretty sure I'm grinning like an idiot, and I'm out of breath from laughing so hard. Loki pulls me to the center of the room, staring into my eyes again.

"How are you doing?" He asks, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

I smile back. "I'm pretty good, how are you?" My heart is still fluttering, beating quickly in my chest.

"I'm well, however I heard you had an interesting conversation with my mother."

I sigh and let go of his hand. "Must you eavesdrop on everything?" I make my way over to his bed and hop up onto it, sitting on it.

He shakes his head, sighing as well. It's not an exasperated sigh though, more like a happy sigh, like mine. He turns, facing me. He crosses his arms. "Well what would you have me do if you don't tell me anything?"

I narrow my eyes at him. "I tell you stuff." My heartbeat has slowed down to normal. He can see into my mind anyways, why does it matter if I tell him stuff?

He smirks, seemingly hearing my thoughts. "I enjoy talking to you."

I roll my eyes. "If you ever let me talk, that is."

He fake pouts. "That's a bit uncalled for, don't you think? We have a mind link."

I sigh, this time more seriously. "That's actually what your mother was talking to me about."

"The mind link?" He walks over and sits down next to me on the bed.

Feeling a bit strange about it all, I don't look at him as I explain to him what his mother told me: how through the mind link, we were gaining characteristics and abilities of each other. And how that was considered dangerous.

Afterwards, we sit in silence for a few moments. Then he speaks up, a humorous edge to his voice. "I don't see how having some extraordinary characteristics of a very handsome god is a bad thing."

I quickly turn and look at him. He's smirking down at me. Mentally cursing my shortness, I jump off the bed and meet his gaze, eye to eye. I can't help but smile back at him. "However, my king... if this were to continue, bad things would eventually happen."

He frowns. "I still don't understand what bad things could come of this. So far gaining some abilities and characteristics doesn't seem like a bad thing."

I stop smiling, becoming serious. "Maybe you have gained the characteristic of my optimism, because this can become a very bad thing." I take a deep breath, steadying myself to tell him my realization. "If we continue to gain characteristics of each other, then eventually, we will have gained so much that we will no longer be ourselves."

"What would we be then?" He asks.

I shake my head, not really knowing the answer. "We wouldn't be ourselves anymore, that's for sure." Maybe we'd be strange combinations of each other, not really sure where one of us ended and the other began. I'm nervous just thinking about it. I just want to be me and Loki to be Loki.

He looks down, deep in thought. Then he slowly smiles, looking up and meeting my gaze again. "I think you're correct on me gaining your optimism. Because I'm sure we can figure out how to fix this." He reaches out and grabs my hands, squeezing tightly with both of his.

I chuckle and squeeze his hands back. "If this is what my optimism looks like, it's kind of adorable."

Now he smirks. "Well I guess that describes you then." He lets go of my hands. "Now what else have I missed?"

I sigh and tell him everything that he missed.

At the end of it all, he is shaking his head, smiling and chuckling. "That son of mine."

"He's very rude!" I place my hands on my hips. "If he would have just dropped us off on the bridge to the bifrost or somewhere more stable than a floating rock, there wouldn't have been such a mess!"

He looks over at me with a pointed look. "How is this any different than getting yourself and Dessa stuck on a floating rock in the first place?"

"Okay, first of all, that wasn't the first place we went to." I sigh, exasperated. "First we went to some sort of forbidden art gallery..."

"Wait, what?" Loki cuts me off. "You went to the Forbidden Art Gallery?"

I feel myself shrink a little bit. "Um, maybe?" I quickly look around, looking at everything except him. "I mean, I didn't mean it... and I didn't even know it was forbidden until we got there!"

Loki curses under his breath, then gets up. "We need to go." He walks around me and goes out into the hallway.

I quickly follow, feeling very nervous. "What is it?" I ask.

"After you have been revived from a loss of energy, unless you yourself are a master of magic, your memory is checked to see if there are any gaps." Loki explains quickly, still speed walking. "It's usually a Healer with mental abilities. Nobody ever pries unless there's something of interest, and The Forbidden Art Gallery if definitely of interest."

"Wait... does that mean someone went through my memories?" I ask, feeling slightly sick. If someone found out about what was really going on...

"No. I explicitly told them that I would be the only one to check your memories." He sideways glanced at me. "You're fine, by the way."

"Gee I'm not sure whether to be comforted by the fact that you went through my mind again, or worried over the fact that you didn't see that we were in The Forbidden Art Gallery to begin with." I say sarcastically.

He shakes his head. "I didn't look through your mind. I just figured you would notice if you had missing gaps of memory."

I think back to the seemingly loss of memory I have on Midgard. "Yeah about that..."

He sighs. "Never mind. We'll figure that out later. We have a more pressing matter to deal with: Dessa."

"Dessa?" I repeat, confused, and then it clicks. Dessa. Dessa passed out from lack of energy. She went with me to The Forbidden Art Gallery. Her memories are going to be looked through. "Oh no."

"Oh no is an accurate description." He replies.

"How forbidden is it, anyways?" I ask, just as we round the corner that leads to the Healing Room.

Loki stops suddenly, so I stop too. Before I even have a chance to look away from him to see what's going on, I hear a familiar voice. One that is probably the worst possible to hear right now.

"Extremely forbidden." Odin says.

I slowly turn to face him. If I thought his presence was dark and foreboding before, it was nothing compared to what I see now. He glares down at me, one hand on his staff, the other holding Dessa's arm. Dessa looks terrified, as she should be. I'm feeling pretty terrified myself.

"My king." My voice comes out shaky, and I bow. When I straighten back up, Odin is still glaring darkly.

"Come to the throne room. Immediately." He marches past us, dropping Dessa in his wake. "All three of you."

After he's gone, I help Dessa up. She looks like she's been crying. I hug her. "Hey it's okay, it's going to be okay." I try to soothe both her and myself.

"No it isn't." She breathes out, her voice trembling. "He's going to banish us."

"No he won't." I tell her firmly. I let go of her and take a step back. "It's not that bad, right?" I look over at Loki, who is looking down at the ground.

"Loki?" I ask again. He looks up and meets my gaze. Instead of finding hope there, like I was hoping for, instead all I see is dismay.

He shakes his head once. "I will do everything that I can."

"Are you serious? Banishment!? It was an art gallery!" I exclaim.

"And you both are servants." Loki says hollowly. "You don't have even the slightest authority to be in there, let alone see a piece of artwork."

I can feel anger rising in me. "Yeah well you know what? I'm going to fight this. I will fight this no matter what." I meet Dessa's scared gaze. "For both of our sakes." 


	29. Banishment

We don't have time to plan. We don't have time to speak. We just walk silently to the throne room, each step feeling heavier and heavier.

This is all my fault.

We stop before the throne room door, dread hanging over us like a cloud. The guards don't look at us as they open the doors. As soon as I glimpse inside, my heart drops. It seems this won't be between the four of us. Odin is seated on the throne, glowering menacingly. Frigga stands beside him, a disappointed frown on her usually cheery face. Then also attending is Thor, who stands opposite of his mother, his expression one of pure solemnity. Lady Sif is next to him, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword. She scowls at us. Lastly, to my great surprise, is Sigyn, who is looking very small and feeble compared to Sif. As soon as she sees Loki, her expression changes from one of seriousness to one of despair, though after a quick glance at Odin, she quickly schools it back to seriousness.

"Enter." Odin commands, his voice still full of that quiet rage. We do, and kneel before him. My heart is thudding so hard in my chest I can scarcely hear myself think. How am I going to fight this? "You may rise."

We do, and one of the guards posted around the room comes over and grab's Loki's arm, pulling him away from Dessa and I. We share a glance before he is pulled away, and his gaze is filled with so much despair, it almost breaks me. But it doesn't. If anything, it returns my resolve. I turn to the throne and wait for Odin to speak. Let him make his move first.

"Cameron of Midgard and Dessa of Asgard, you stand before me after committing one of the worst infractions in Asgard: you entered the Forbidden Art Gallery." He starts, his one eye boring down on us. "What do you have to say to this?" Loki opens his mouth, but Odin immediately stops him. "For yourselves." He states with emphasis.

I guess this is now my chance. I take a tiny step forward. Guards immediately move in front of the throne, their weapons pointed at me. I cautiously raise my hands in surrender. "I was simply stepping forward to speak."

"Then speak." Odin orders. Reluctantly, the guards move back into position.

I swallow nervously. "Sir, it is entirely my fault that we ended up in the Forbidden Art Gallery." I pause, unsure of how to continue. I don't think Odin will be very happy if he finds out that I can now teleport.

Odin narrows his eye, leaning forward slightly. "And why is that?" He asks, scrutinizing us. "Dessa has been a servant of Asgard nearly her entire life." He raises an eyebrow. "Surely she knows the secrets of Asgard better than you."

I have to fight to keep from turning my fidgeting hands into fists. Did he really just accuse Dessa of bringing me to the Forbidden Art Gallery?

I take a deep breath to try to relax. Here goes any sort of good feelings Odin has towards me. "It was my fault because I teleported us in there."

Odin's face freezes in shock, but only for a moment. Then he laughs, quite humorlessly, and leans back. "Loki told you to say that, didn't he?"

My eyes widen in surprise. Does he really not believe me? I shake my head. "No.. I.." I starts, but then I am interrupted by Loki stepping forward.

"You are correct." He smirks, shrugging his shoulders. "I told her to say that."

I whip around towards him, staring at him in shock. What does he think he's doing? His gaze meets mine, and he winks. I try to express to him with my gaze that I think he's crazy, but he just looks back towards Odin. _Relax. I have figured out a plan._ He speaks to me in my head.

I mentally scowl at him. _It's a stupid plan._ I reply. I know he's trying to get all of the blame placed on himself. I open my mouth to speak, but Loki breezily walks around in front of me, blocking Odin's view of me. I notice none of the guards bother to move either, of course. Privileges of being royalty, I suppose.

"I am the one to take them both into the Forbidden Art Gallery." He states proudly.

Hidden from view, I fight the urge to roll my eyes at so obvious a lie. Odin's going to see right through that.

"You were not seen in Dessa's memories, only Cameron was." Odin states. "I checked the memories myself."

Loki chuckles. "I am a Master of Magic, All-Father. I know how to alter a few memories." He walks over to Dessa, who still looks really nervous, placing a hand on her head. He closes his eyes in concentration. I watch, fascinated, as Dessa's eyes go blank for a few seconds, but then she is completely back to normal, though she does look confused. "I took the alterations away." He takes his hand off her head. "Go ahead and see for yourself."

Odin stands up, towering above us, and I can feel worry start to clench at my gut. This plan is so not going to work. He walks over to Dessa, who is looking quite terrified now, but she remains still as he places a hand on her head. We wait for what seems like an eternity, but it could have easily just been a few seconds, when he removes his hand.

He nods at the guards by Dessa and I. "He's telling the truth." Immediately, the guards surround Loki.

"No!" He's been banished once before, I won't let it happen again. Especially since it's because of me. I move towards the circle of guards, but one rushes over and grabs my arm, stopping me.

Odin turns and smiles slowly at me. "Oh don't worry Cameron, he's not the only one with consequences." That smile... why does it give me a sinking feeling? He continues on. "You, also, Cameron, are going to the dungeons."

"The.. dungeons?" I repeat, a bit confused. Does that mean we're not being banished?

Odin nods seriously. "Yes, Cameron, the dungeons. But this time, it won't only be for a day. This time it will be for two weeks."

"Two weeks!" I exclaim, my mouth agape. Can someone survive in there for that long?

"It's less than you deserve." He warns sternly. He turns to Dessa. "You, Dessa, will not be going. You were adamant about leaving as soon as you figured out where you were, so you won't be punished for that, as well as looking over Cameron." Dessa relaxes, losing her terrified gaze. "However..." He continues. She looks back up to him. "You will be attending Lady Sif until Cameron is released." Dessa nods quickly. Odin smiles. "Good. It will be tough, but you still were in the Forbidden Art Gallery, so something must be done."

Odin travels back to his throne, sitting down. "You are all sentenced. Be gone." He thuds his staff on the floor.

And, just like that, the sound reverberates around the room, bouncing off the ceiling, walls, making everything blurry and fuzzy. Then the world tilts, and I pass out.


	30. An Unexpected Visitor

I wake up lying on my bed. I blink at my white ceiling, once, twice, before everything comes rushing back. Two weeks in the dungeon. For both Loki and I, because Loki was stupid and manipulated most of the blame onto himself. I sigh and sit up, rubbing my eyes. I wonder how long I was gone this time? I look over at my clock. It's 5:00, so about two hours. I roll my eyes. Typical. The way time works in Asgard never ceases to amaze me.

I get up and amble over to my backpack. Despite thinking about it for a while, I can't actually remember if I have homework or not. I open my bag, sifting through my papers. To my relief, I don't have any. Maybe my dad will want to go to that movie he was talking about, whatever it was. I close up my backpack and sit on my bed, massaging my temples. I really can't remember what it is.

"Having trouble, are we?" I hear a familiar voice say, suddenly right next to me.

I smile, despite the sudden appearance. I turn towards Loki, who is now sitting next to me. He's smirking, but his eyes hold concern. It makes my breath catch. He's just really cute when concerned.

I laugh slightly. "Only a little." I shake my head. "I'm just forgetting some things." I look over at him to catch his reaction. The concern in his eyes doesn't grow, but his smirk does disappear.

"That's not... the best." He says slowly, closing his eyes. "Especially since it's more than likely connected to our mind link."

I can feel a knot of concern start to form in my chest, but I push it away. "Can it be fixed?"

Loki smiles slightly. "Of course. We just have to find out how." He reaches over and takes my hand. "It'll be okay, Cameron."

I meet his gaze, my heart warming. Both of our concerns are gone now, pushed away to the back of our minds. He leans over and kisses me lightly on the cheek. "I'll be waiting for you in the dungeon." He then disappears, leaving my face flushed and my hand uncomfortably empty.

I shake my head and get up, smoothing out my shirt as I do so. Time to continue with life. Midgardian life, that is. Life in Asgard, though it's more like a crazy dream than anything, it's still apart of my life. I grin. A part of my life where I've fallen in love with the God of Mischief. Who would have ever thought?

Still smiling to myself, I make my way out to the kitchen, where my parents are finishing setting up dinner. I quickly grab the napkins and help them, setting a napkin down beside each plate. That's when I notice a fourth plate at the table. I hesitate before placing a napkin down next to it, looking at my parents. They both seem to act as if everything is normal. I shrug and place the napkin down. Maybe someone's coming over for dinner and they just didn't tell me. That's happened before, on numerous occasions. My strange relatives like to occasionally drop by to see us. I wince as I remember when my Uncle Francis came over. A big, beefy, loud man, he ate three-quarters of our food and practically yelled us deaf. It was terrifying, as I was 8. Then one time my Aunt Monnie came over, which was fine... except she brought her four dogs, all bulldogs. We spent the night half pretending to pay attention to her and the other half we desperately tried to keep the dogs away from the food. I think she's the only one who ate that night.

Soon enough, everything is on the table, smelling delicious. As I sit down, I briefly wonder if I'm going to be able to taste any of it. We all start eating, the fourth setting unoccupied. After a little while, I finally get sick of the silence.

"Alright who is it?" I ask, referring to the fourth plate. We're a quarter of the way through dinner and they're not even here yet. My parents exchange smiling glances.

"No one." My mom says, sounding very suspicious.

I narrow my eyes at her, deciding to play along with her game. "Alright when is 'no one' going to get here?"

My dad clears his throat, and I whip around to face him. My suspicious gaze meets his. "You don't need to worry Cameron, they're only coming for dessert." Dessert? I don't remember seeing any.

Meanwhile, my mom is glaring daggers at him from across the table. "Do you want to ruin it?"

"Ruin what?" Now my increase has piqued. Is this person supposed to be a surprise? I turn back around to face her. "Is this person here for me?"

"Not exactly..." My dad starts, but my mom cuts him off.

"Stop. She'll find out soon enough."

I groan. "It's not one of our crazy relatives, is it? Are they coming to kidnap me?"

My parents are both about to respond when I hear a familiar chuckle, one that isn't Loki. No, it's someone else. Someone much more important.

My brother comes around the corner from the living room, his hands in his pockets. He's dressed impeccably as usual, in black dress pants, a white dress shirt, and a black suit jacket. He smiles. "If it's a kidnapping by your older brother, is it really considered kidnapping?"

"Thomas!" I leap out of my chair and tackle him in a hug. It's been eight months since I've even heard from him! I hug him tight, my smile wide.

He chuckles again, hugging me back. "Hey, little sis."

We let go of each other and I take a step back. "What are you doing here?" I am certainly surprised!

He smiles, raising his eyebrows. "Can't an older brother kidnap his sister occasionally?"

I roll my eyes. "You can, but I know you're here for a reason." I turn towards my parents. "May I be excused?"

My dad nods. "Certainly."

I quickly put my plate in the sink and go back to my room, grabbing a bag and filling it what I'll need. If I know my brother, we're doing the same thing we have always done: drive into the city, get a huge amount of ice cream, and then drive to the top of Cherry Tree Hill and stare up at the stars. I certainly won't have any chance to go to Asgard, not that it matters much since I'm in the dungeons currently, but still. I make sure to try to think down the mind link to let Loki know what's going on, and then I grab a jacket and head out.

I hug my parents bye and follow my brother to his silver truck. I can't help but grin at how dusty and dinged up it is. "Man Tommy, are you ever going to get another truck? This one must be ancient!"

"I don't see you getting anything." He shoots back, climbing into the driver's seat. He starts it, and the engine roars to life.

"I only have my permit!" I climb into the passenger side and put on my seatbelt. I throw my bag in the backseat. "I have enough to think about before I can even start to think about saving up for a car!"

He smiles slyly. "Oh really?" He backs the truck out of the driveway. "So how much do you have?"

I sigh. "2,000."

"2,000!" He chuckles, shaking his head. "Man sis and I thought I was doing good at 1,000 by the time I was your age." He glances over at me. "How'd you do it?"

I smile mischievously. "I have my ways." I point back towards the road. "Now eyes on the road, mister! I want to get to my ice cream alive." I mock scold him. He laughs and focuses back on the road.

Then for a little while, we just drive.

A/N: Hey everyone! It's finally here! I thought I'd give you all a taste of Cameron's life outside of Asgard, since you don't see it that often. Now, have a good day/night and finally, thank you so so much for reading.


	31. Hanging out with the Bro

We arrive at the ice cream shop at the perfect time: only a few people are in line. I order my usual: mint chocolate chip, and my brother orders his: strawberry. This particular ice cream shop is our favorite because it is one of the few that offers an ice cream cone in an extra extra large size. It's a bit hard to balance, but when you've been getting it for as long as we have, you become an expert. The people who work at the ice cream shop are also really good at their jobs; it only takes a few minutes for them to whip up our ice cream. They even have a special window that's taller than the others so they can hand it out safely!

After collecting our ice cream we head to our usual spot: the park bench underneath the giant Oak tree. We used to joke it was the only Oak tree in the city before we realized there were like 20 of them in the park. It's still _our_ Oak tree though, no matter how many others there are. This is where we have our deep talks.

I quickly lick the drops of ice cream running down my cone. I have always eaten ice cream slow, and the large size of the ice cream doesn't help. It's hard to talk while eating ice cream, but Thomas and I have a system. We eat our ice cream in silence until we both have just one scoop left on our cones. Now the talking begins.

I lean back on the bench, still surveying my ice cream for any drips. "So... what's going on?"

Thomas glances at me, but he focuses back on his ice cream as well. "There's nothing going on, why would you think that?"

I smile. "You're right; I shouldn't be asking _what_ is going on, I should be asking _who._ " I steal a glance away from my ice cream, trying to catch my brother's eye.

"Shut up." He pushes me slightly, but his smile gives it all away.

"It is a girl!" I grin and turn towards him, tucking my feet under me as I do so. "So.. what's her name?" I lean forward, my ice cream temporarily forgotten.

"Whoah there, sis." He points at my ice cream, which I have now positioned dangerously close to his nice shirt. "Better back up there before you ruin something important."

I roll my eyes. He probably has a dozen of these shirts. This one isn't any more important than the rest of them. I lean back, casually taking a big lick of my ice cream. Fine then, if he doesn't want to tell me anything, then I won't either. There's nothing really I wanted to tell him anyways... I'm not really sure how I could explain Loki to him. I know I could make up some sort of story, but I don't want to lie. Not to him. He'd see through me in a second anyways, just like how I can do with him.

We finish our ice cream in silence, my brother still not speaking to me about this new person in his life. I sigh. Maybe I should tell him a bit about Loki. Enough that it's still the truth, but vague enough to not give everything away. That's not lying, right? I grin slightly. Loki really is rubbing off on me.

"So..." I start, just as Thomas says the exact same thing. We make eye contact and immediately burst out laughing.

Once our laughter dies down, Thomas turns to me, our knees touching. "So you have something to tell me now, is that it?" He asks, still grinning. "Don't tell me it's a guy."

I blush and turn away from him so that our knees no longer touch. "What are you talking about? There's nothing going on." I wince internally at the so obvious lie.

He catches it. "Aha now Cameron, you know better than that." He mock scolds me. He brings his legs down and scootches closer to me so that I'm trapped between him and the side of the bench. I try to push him away, but he doesn't budge. Why does he have to be so fit!?

I scowl at him. "Alright maybe..." My scowl turns into a smirk as a new idea pops into my head. "But you have to tell me about your girl first."

He sighs dramatically. "Look at my little sister, growing up so fast already. It feels like only yesterday you were exclaiming all guys have cooties and vowing to never touch them."

I lean over, lying my head on his shoulder. "All guys still do have cooties. Some are just more manageable than others."

He chuckles. "Like me?"

I smile. "You're my brother, it's different. I _have_ to love you."

"Yeah and you know you do." Thomas suddenly grabs my head, giving me a noogie. I squeal and jerk free, jumping from the bench.

I glare at him. "You jerk! You're just trying to distract me!" I run my fingers through my hair, trying to calm it down.

He's grinning, but then he sighs, clasping his hands together. "Fine, you caught me." He moves back to his original position on the bench, patting next to him. "I'll tell you about her."

My eyes light up triumphantly, but I eye the seat warily. Is he going to noogie me again?

He must see my expression, because he laughs slightly. "I won't noogie you anymore." He raises his hands in surrender. "I promise."

I relax and nod. I move back to my original spot, criss-crossing my legs under me. I lean forward again, now no longer restricted by an ice cream cone. "So.. what's her name?"

He smiles slightly. "Jackson."

"Jackson?" I lean back, eyeing my brother incredulously. "That's not a girl's name." Is it possible... that my brother is interested in a guy? I decide to wait before I continue that thinking process.

He shakes his head. "Usually that's true yes, but not in this case." His eyes shine when he meets my gaze. "It just fits her."

In that moment, it hits me just how much he likes this girl. I can see it in the way he talks about her, and the look in his eyes. It makes me briefly wonder... would I look that way if I talked about Loki? I smile softly, brushing away my thoughts. I need to focus on my brother right now. "What's she like?"

He scoots closer to me so that our shoulders are touching. He looks up, pointing up at the stars that are now starting to shine through the tree branches. I look up as well, feeling myself relax just looking at them. This is what we do, my brother and I. We look up at the stars and we talk, reveling in the beauty of it all.

"See that star over there?" He points directly at one star.

My gaze travels to it, noting the constellations on the way. "I see it." It's one of the brighter stars in the sky, slightly blue tinted.

"See how bright it is, but it flickers? Like it's still so beautiful when it's dimmer, but even then it's still very bright?"

I rest my head on his shoulder again, still staring up at the stars. "Mmmhmm"

He sighs, one of quiet happiness. "That's Jackson. She's just so amazing and beautiful."

I can feel myself starting to get drowsy, my mind fogging up. "That's great, bro."

He reaches over and tousles my hair slightly. "Thanks Cam." We stare up at the stars for a few more minutes before he speaks again. "I can't wait for you to meet her."

"I get to?" I manage to dredge up in my drowsy state. I'm just really tired. It's like all the contents of the day to make me tired have dumped on me at once.

He chuckles, and I can feel it through his shoulder. "Of course."

"Does she like cats?" I close my eyes, taking a very long blink.

I can't see him, but I know he's smiling. "She loves cats, Cameron. She has two."

I like this girl even more now. Cats are the best. I nod, yawning sleepily.

"Does your guy like cats?"

I look back up at the stars, racking my brain. Does Loki like cats? I honestly don't know. I feel like he would, but he might also be really annoyed by them. They are pretty annoying creatures.

 _You are correct in your second assumption._ A voice in my head says suddenly. It's Loki. I gasp and sit up, looking around in the darkness. Was he here?

Thomas looks at me in confusion. "What's going on?"

I shake my head. Loki's not here. He's just in my head. "I'm good. I just thought I heard something." I settle back next to my brother, leaning on him again. Mentally, I try to glare at Loki. I'm kind of busy right now.

Thomas wraps an arm around my shoulder. "You spook too easily."

"Haven't I always?" I murmur, my heartbeat relaxing again.

He chuckles. "Good point. So, what's the verdict on the guy and cats?"

I smile. "They would annoy him too much."

He gasps in disbelief. "And you still like him?!"

I chuckle. "Of course." My eyelids are growing heavy again. "There's more to him than whether or not he likes cats or not."

"Like...?"

"He's really mischievous, but super sweet." I start. "He can be dark and mysterious but then he'll get a twinkle in his eye and the whole day will suddenly become much more fun." I smile. "He's actually really cute when he's upset, even if he's a little scary too."

"Cute and scary, huh." My brother intones. "He sounds like quite the charmer."

I turn and punch him slightly. "Shut up! I'm trying to talk here."

"What, you can't do a cool analogy about a star like me?" He sounds smug.

I punch him again. "I'm not a hopeless romantic like you!"

He grabs my hand, causing me to meet his gaze. "If he's scary, that might not be the best thing." He says seriously.

I roll my eyes. "You don't know him like I do. He just is very protective, that's all."

Thomas relaxes. "Okay." He squeezes my hand once, then lets it go. "If he does anything too scary though, you let me know, okay? Then he and I can have a little chat." He smiles grimly. I sigh internally. He's going all "protective older brother" on me.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes, and instead yawn. "Okay Tommy, whatever you say." I don't know how he and Loki could have a chat since Loki is in Asgard, but whatever makes him happy.

My brother smiles and then quickly gets up, scooping me up in his arms as he does so. I want to protest, but I just decide to accept it, snuggling closer to his chest. This is another thing that happens when we get together.

"Time to go to bed, Cam. You've been half asleep for the past half-hour." He starts walking towards where we parked the truck.

"I'm not tired...!" I weakly protest, though my eyelids are getting heavier by the second. I yawn again.

"Yeah and that yawn says otherwise." He chuckles again, and I can feel it through his chest. He lowers his head down so he's whispering in my ear. "Go ahead and sleep Cameron, I've got you."

His words have an immediate calming effect on me, and I almost fall asleep right there. This always happens too, and I fight against it every time. Because as soon as I fall asleep, I know it'll be the last I see of my brother for that trip. He always escapes as soon as I'm safely tucked in bed.

"You need to tell me more about Jackson." My words are slurring, heavy with sleep.

"No I don't. Next time I come, I'll bring her so you can meet her, okay?" We've reached the truck. He sets me down on my feet, gripping my shoulders with one arm so he can open the passenger door. Once the door's open, he picks me up again and places me in, buckling me in.

I bat at his hands. "Please Thomas, I don't want to go to bed." My tired gaze meets his.

He smiles sadly, shaking his head. "It's time Cameron, I need to go."

"When will I see you again?" I reach a hand to him, grabbing his arm so he can't close the door. I can feel the impending darkness of sleep pulling me in. As soon as that door shuts, I know I'll be out.

He sighs. "Sometime, Cameron. The answer is still the same." He gently takes my hand and moves it into my lap. His gaze meets mine for a last time. "Goodnight, sis."

"Goodnight, bro." I whisper.

He shuts the door, and the tendrils of sleep swarm my head, engulfing me in sweet darkness. I'm asleep.


End file.
